By Abdulmumin Murtala, Kano

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, has commenced the payment of N30, 600 minimum wage to the least paid workers in the state in fulfillment of a promise he made to adopt the new wage regime in the state.

The payment started in December 2019

The new salary scale officially commenced from April 2019 when the new minimum wage Act was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as  the agreement reached between the state government and the Joint Public Service Negotiations Council, JPSNC.

READ ALSO:Jigawa Govt begins payment of new minimum wage(Opens in a new browser tab)

Consequently, the government will pay eight months arrears to the workers.

Some workers who spoke to Vanguard on the development, thanked  the governor for fulfilling his promise.

“I am a health worker under the state government and I am impressed that the governor has been able to commence the payment of the N30,000 basic salary system with an increase of N600 even though it is supposed to be from April 2019. This is highly encouraging when compared to other states. We don’t know now whether they will pay arrears or not. We also hope he fulfills the promise he made of free and compulsory education as well” Bashir Yusuf, a government health worker stated.

Speaking on the new development,  Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs Malam Muhammad Garba said “Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has, right from the commencement of negotiation between the federal government and organized labour, indicated his administration’s readiness to pay the restructured minimum wage which has begun from this December. Workers in the state are smiling home with their new pay from their respective banks.”

On whether the government would pay the arrears of the past eight months, the commissioner said “Workers in the state should be rest assured that based on the agreement reached between the state government and the Joint Public Service Negotiation Council, arrears of April–November, 2019 would be paid in installments over time.”

Make Our Country Attractive to Investors, Become a Strong Economy, Saraki Urges Nigerians

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Saraki has congratulated Nigerians on the commencement of the New Year 2020 which also signifies the turn of a new decade and urged them to work to make the country more conducive for investments and building of a strong economy.

Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that “We have a lot to thank God for despite all the challenges we faced  as a country in the year that just ended, our country remains one. We as citizens need to just rededicate ourselves to concentrating on issues that will unite us, help our country to realize its enormous potentials, be law abiding and pray for our leaders.

“At this point, I enjoin all Nigerians to pray for our soldiers and other security agents who are battling to maintain peace in the North-east zone and other troubled parts of the country. We should pray to God to bless their efforts, protect them and give us victory.

“We must all focus on how to make our country the go-to place for investors from within and outside so that we can build a very strong economy and one that will be able to gainfully accommodate and create wealth for our growing population of youths. This is because the new decade will be about the youths. Our ability to gainfully harness their energy will determine whether that section of our population will be an asset or liability.

“Our focus in this new year should be to ensure that by the end of the new decade that began today, we can say now our economy is strong, robust enough to utilize the energy of our youths and transform our various mineral resources into wealth for the citizenry and the country.

“ It is my prayer that we will all have a very successful year in 2020 and that God should fully restore peace and prosperity in our country. Happy New Year to all Nigerians,” Saraki stated.