Follow Us on Google
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Governor Uba Sani has commenced the implementation of the National Minimum Wage in Kaduna State, according to the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa.
In a statement on Sunday, Musa refuted claims by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that Kaduna State had defaulted in the payment of the minimum wage, describing such claims as a misrepresentation.
“It is grossly unfair for the NLC to lump Kaduna State with other states when the least paid worker received a gross salary of N72,000 in November,” the statement said.
Musa stated, “His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, has complied with the spirit and letter of the National Minimum Wage Law by paying the lowest paid civil servant N72,000 last month.
“NLC is harping on the issue of consequential adjustment, but the labour body should understand that there is a difference between salary increment and minimum wage,” he added.
Other News
The Chief Press Secretary explained that Kaduna State generates around N4 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) monthly and receives approximately N8 billion from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), making a total revenue of N12 billion per month.
“With the implementation of the minimum wage, the state’s monthly wage bill has jumped from N5.4 billion to N6.3 billion. Additionally, N4 billion is deducted monthly for loan repayments. These expenses leave only N2 billion for critical sectors such as rural transformation, healthcare, education, and other developmental projects,” Musa explained.
He argued that it would be unreasonable for the government to spend nearly all its revenue on consequential adjustments after fulfilling its obligation to pay the mandatory minimum wage.
“There are over 10 million people in Kaduna State entitled to the accrued revenue of the state. Meanwhile, there are 84,827 civil servants in the state. It is unreasonable for the government to spend over 90% of its revenue on just about 1% of the population,” Musa stated.
The spokesperson urged the NLC to exercise patience regarding consequential adjustments until the state’s revenue improves, emphasising that Governor Uba Sani is labour-friendly.
He also highlighted the state government’s efforts to support workers, including the purchase of buses to provide free transportation for civil servants as part of palliatives to cushion the effects of current economic challenges.
