Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has denied allegations by the Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that his administration has failed to implement the national minimum wage.
The NLC, in a statement dated November 28, 2024, and signed by its Secretary, Gado Hussaini Titus, accused the state government of not implementing the N72,000 minimum wage.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Malam Ibraheem Musa, dismissed the allegations, describing them as unfounded and unfair.
“The report is grossly unfair because the least paid worker in Kaduna State received a gross salary of N72,000 in November,” the statement read.
Malam Musa further emphasized that Governor Sani has fully complied with the National Minimum Wage Law. He clarified that the NLC’s concerns are centered on consequential adjustments, which differ from the minimum wage.
“Kaduna State receives an average of N8 billion monthly from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and generates around N4 billion internally, totaling N12 billion in revenue each month,” the statement explained.
“With the implementation of the minimum wage, the monthly wage bill has risen from N5.4 billion to N6.3 billion. Additionally, N4 billion is deducted monthly for loan repayments, leaving only N2 billion for critical sectors like rural transformation, healthcare, education, and other developmental projects.”
Musa argued that dedicating most of the state’s revenue to consequential adjustments would be inequitable, given that the state’s 84,827 civil servants represent less than 1% of the population of over 10 million.
“It is unreasonable for the government to spend over 90% of its revenue on just a fraction of the population,” he added.
The statement urged the NLC to be patient, assuring them that the government would address the consequential adjustments as its revenue improves. It also highlighted the Governor’s labor-friendly policies, including providing buses for civil servants to commute to work free of charge as part of palliatives to alleviate economic challenges.
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