Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has stated that his administration has complied with the Minimum Wage Act, affirming that no civil servant in the state earns less than N70,000.
Speaking to workers at Murtala Square, Kaduna during the May Day celebrations on Thursday, Governor Sani, who highlighted his background as a human rights activist, reiterated his belief in the dignity of labour, explaining that the lowest-paid worker in Kaduna State receives N72,000.
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The Governor acknowledged that the matter of incremental salary adjustments is yet to be resolved but assured the workforce that it would be addressed.
“I have been involved in the struggle for labour rights, workers’ rights. That is my background. Because of my history, I met with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC),” he said.
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“I made it clear to them that although we have met the minimum wage requirement, there is something called incremental adjustment which is discretionary.”
“Because of my relationship with both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), I asked them that we should have discussions and devise a formula that will make every worker in Kaduna State content, regardless of their status, and they presented three different options,” he disclosed.
Mr Sani pledged, “Today, I want to reaffirm to all of you here that by the grace of God, we will consider the incremental adjustment and ensure that even senior civil servants will benefit because we must ensure our workers are satisfied.”
Furthermore, he emphasised that improving the living conditions of pensioners is a top priority for his administration. He noted that last month, the government released N3.8 billion to settle outstanding gratuities, death benefits, and accrued rights under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
“Since the beginning of our administration, we have cumulatively paid the sum of N10.4 billion in gratuity, death benefits, and accrued rights within the Contributory Pension Scheme,” Governor Sani added.
According to the Governor, this significant payment to pensioners is unprecedented. He expressed his satisfaction that the Chairman of the NLC had acknowledged that his administration inherited most of these outstanding issues.
Governor Sani also announced the approval for the recruitment of 1,800 medical personnel to strengthen the state’s Primary Health Care System, and the employment of 3,000 teachers to enhance the capacity of public schools.
He revealed that Kaduna State received the award for the best subnational in Primary Health Care in Nigeria three months prior, attributing this to the fact that “we are the only state that has upgraded 180 of our 255 PHCs to Level 2 status.”
Addressing the ongoing industrial action by the Kaduna State University (KASU) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Governor stated that his administration has made every effort to reposition the institution.
He explained that over 60% of the university’s courses lacked accreditation when he assumed office, but his administration invested over N300 million to secure the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) accreditation.
The Governor noted that the demands of the striking lecturers had accumulated over 17 years, with approximately three of his predecessors unable to settle the liabilities, which amount to betweenN5 to N6 billion.
“Despite this, the lecturers want us to settle these liabilities now, and I said no. I insisted that we must engage in dialogue. I then questioned where their voices were during the past 17 years?”
“We must sit down and explore how we can address this issue gradually. It is not something that can be resolved in a single day. A problem spanning 17 years cannot be settled overnight,” he added.
Governor Sani assured that the issue would be addressed, emphasising that education is a crucial equaliser. “We will ensure that both the academic and non-academic staff of KASU are taken care of,” he concluded.
