to commence the payment of the new National Minimum Wage this January.
The Governor made the disclosure when he received Chairmen of the 25
Local Government Areas on a solidarity visit over the recent Supreme
Court verdict affirming his election as the duly elected Governor of the
state.
Governor Bello said that a committee has been set up already and
considerable progress has been made in an ongoing negotiation to begin
the implementation of the new minimum wage.
“At the moment our top priority is to address those that have been
affected directly by the minimum wage and what it means is, anyone who
is below the minimum wage policy”.
“I have given the directive that it should be implemented this January,
so that those that are entitled or fall within the class of minimum wage
will get”, he said.
According to him, those that are not directly affected by the N30, 000
minimum wage will be taken care of in the next phase which is the
consequential adjustment.
“If you implement the new minimum wage, then you find out that there
will be the need for consequential adjustments for all”.
The Governor noted that paying salaries is not the only function of
government, adding that, at the moment, 80 per cent of the state’s
income goes into salary payment.
He expressed concern over the state civil servants who were not
enjoying the as they should, stressing that, with a workforce of no
fewer than 27, 000, and the state population of over 4 million,
executing capital projects and paying salaries regularly have been
extremely difficult.