Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved a minimum wage of N71,000 for state civil servants.
This was disclosed in a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
The new minimum wage, which takes effect in November 2024, was announced during the governor’s receipt of the Public Service Negotiation Committee Report, headed by the state Head of Civil Service, at his office today.
Workers’ Welfare
- The governor emphasized that Kano State has one of the largest workforces in Nigeria, reflecting its population and specific local needs.
- He acknowledged the financial constraints, including the low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) he inherited, stating that his government has “decided to implement the new national minimum wage of N71,000.00.”
- Governor Yusuf revealed that the implementation of the minimum wage will increase the state’s monthly salary obligations by over N6 billion, adding that an additional N7 billion is needed for the 44 local government councils.
- He stressed that this approval exemplifies a commitment to social justice, economic growth, and enhanced living standards for state workers and citizens.
“Our administration is deeply committed to prioritizing the welfare of our civil servants, who tirelessly provide efficient, effective, and quality services to our people despite limited financial resources,” he stated.
More Insights
According to the statement, the governor disclosed that he inherited an average monthly IGR of N2 billion, lamenting that “by comparison, states such as Lagos generate an average of N54.3 billion, Rivers N14.5 billion, Ogun N10.1 billion, and Delta N7.1 billion.”
He noted that this disparity highlights the urgent need for stakeholders to reform the state’s domestic revenue generation strategies to meet obligations to the people of Kano.
He urged beneficiaries “to enhance service delivery, continuously seek innovative solutions to improve public services and streamline processes,” appealing to them to work collaboratively to ensure transparency and accountability.
The governor accused the previous administration of conducting a large-scale hiring initiative, resulting in the employment of 13,000 individuals in the civil service without due diligence.
“The present administration, recognizing the importance of essential human resources in serving our citizens, formed a committee to review these hires and ultimately retained over 12,000 of them in the state civil service,” he added.
The governor urged civil servants to intensify their dedication to efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness, harnessing the state’s collective strength to drive transformative change and achieve greatness in service.
Earlier, the Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, who presented the report, stated that the committee played a key role in advising on the new wage without difficulties.
What You Should Know
Nairametrics previously reported that President Bola Tinubu signed the new N70,000 national minimum wage into law three months ago.
- Nairametrics also reported that the National Assembly approved the bill to increase the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, effectively making it law.
- The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the approval following the third reading of the bill during a plenary session in Abuja.
- The bill, proposed by President Bola Tinubu after meeting with the heads of organized labor last week, also included a reduction of the review timeline for the minimum wage from five years to three years.
Since then, several states have aligned by increasing their minimum wage.
