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From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has identified entrenched structural inefficiencies, ranging from the widespread presence of ghost workers to administrative indiscipline as the major impediments to implementing the N70,000 minimum wage at the local government level in the state.
The governor made this known on Tuesday in Gombe, while addressing stakeholders during the official presentation of cheques and payment of backlog of gratuities to local government retirees.
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According to him, while the state government has successfully implemented the wage increase for its workforce, cascading the policy down to the 11 local government areas (LGAs) remains challenging due to systemic rot and leadership failures at the grassroots.
He said: “Over the past six years, our administration has introduced transformative reforms to enhance workers’ welfare and reposition the civil service. We have awarded wages to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal and implemented the N70,000 minimum wage at the state level.” However, while decrying the situation at the local government level, he described it as fraught with payroll fraud and reckless governance. He said: “For the local governments, the challenges are enormous, starting with ghost workers, and by extension, ghost pensioners. We must tread carefully. In the pursuit of selfish gains, some have jeopardised the entire system.” Governor Yahaya further described the local government structure as having suffered years of degradation, with unchecked corruption and weak accountability frameworks impeding reform
He emphasised the state government’s resolve to sanitise the system, reiterating the importance of transparency and discipline in building a sustainable wage structure at all levels of government.
