Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei has called on the Federal Government to adopt a living wage for its workers, because according to him, the current N18,000 minimum wage is no longer realistic.

Ochei made the call while delivering a paper, titled, "Minimum Wage and the Enhancement of Productivity in the Public Service at the 2012 University of Ibadan Alumni Association Annual Distinguished Public Service Lecture in Asaba. The Speaker said although the minimum wage is backed by law, in terms of real value, it is nothing to write home about. He said a living wage is such that can afford decent wage for all and sundry.

"With a living wage, an individual can take pride in his or her work and enjoy the decency of a life beyond poverty and the ditch of poverty wages", he said.

He identified inequitable distribution of resources as a major obstacle to the effective implementation of the minimum wage structure in the country.

He called on state governments to look inward and find ways of harnessing human and natural resources.

Ochei also recommended cutting down basic running cost and checkmating corruption, factors which, he said, have continually affected the nation's finances.

The legislator equally called on civil servants to embrace a more positive and proactive approach to their duties.