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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sadiq Mamman-Lagos, has disclosed that some traditional rulers in the state remained on a monthly salary of N26,000 for more than 30 years before Governor Uba Sani approved an increase in their remuneration.
Mamman-Lagos, who made the disclosure while speaking to journalists in Kaduna at the weekend, said the salary review followed his intervention over what he described as the longstanding welfare challenges of traditional rulers across the state.
“I looked at the salaries. A village head was taking ₦26,000. And they were getting this amount for 30 years,” he said.
When he presented the matter to Governor Sani, the commissioner recounted what followed: “Withing three minutes, Governor Uba Sani approved it. Three minutes! I just gave him a little brief. No argument.”
He said the increase covers traditional rulers from village heads through the various categories of chiefs to the Emir of Zazzau, adding that the state government also plans to provide vehicles for traditional rulers who lack adequate means of transportation.
The commissioner said the intervention was not only aimed at improving the welfare of traditional rulers but also at strengthening grassroots administration and security, given their role in information gathering and community engagement.
He described the salary review as both a welfare measure and an important step towards strengthening grassroots administration and security.
“Those days, information goes through those traditional rulers, and they are members of the security council. They gather information,” he said.
Mamman-Lagos, who also expressed confidence in Governor Sani’s re-election in 2027, said the administration’s engagement with traditional institutions was among the factors that would work in its favour at the polls.
Mamman-Lagos said women, particularly those in rural communities, remained a critical voting bloc that politicians should not overlook.
