The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kebbi, has berated the state government for allegedly shortchanging local government workers after the November salaries payment of implemented minimum wage..
The spokesperson of the PDP in the state, Sani Dododo, made this known in a statement he signed and issued to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
“PDP has been keenly following trends of minimum wage payments since its formal announcement in October this year.
“It will be recalled that Gov. Nasir Idris, made a formal declaration to pay the sum of N75,000 as the new minimum wage effective from October 2024 for State and local government workers.
“Unfortunately, due to some administrative limitations, local government managers and trade unions solicited for two weeks grace to harmonize their documentation.
“To our greatest dismay and after persistent delays the local governments and teachers’ minimum wage was finally released this month but was grossly far from the approved amount of N75,000 as testified by several teachers and LG workers from across the 21 LGAs of the state,” Dododo alleged.
He also wondered why the state and local government employees would have a new minimum wage contrary to the one announced by the governor.
“We challenge the state government to dispute the fact that despite agreed minimum wage figure, the state is still paying less than N40,000 to almost all categories of staff on Grade Level 3, 4 and 5,” he said.
The secretary urged the state government to fulfill its promises to teachers as they played a crucial role in reshaping the future of society.
Commenting on the development, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Faruk Abubakar-Sadiq, expressed deep gratitude to Governor Nasir Idris for his timely approval and implementation of the new minimum wage for all staff in the state local government service.
He described the gesture as a testament to Gov. Idris’ unwavering commitment to improving the welfare of workers across the state.
Abubakar-Sadiq assured the members of the union that the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs was committed to addressing any reasonable complaints arising from the payment.
“Accordingly, NULGE is calling on any staff with minor issues, such as payment omissions, to lodge their complaints through their respective Directors of Finance and Supply.
“These complaints will be forwarded to the Ministry for necessary action,” the chairman said.
