No Kaduna State Worker Earns Less Than ₦70,000

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has stated that the minimum wage for workers in the state is ₦72,000, surpassing the recently approved national minimum wage threshold. He made this known during the Workers’ Day celebration held on Thursday at Murtala Square in Kaduna.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Sani emphasized that no worker under his administration earns below ₦70,000, noting that this demonstrates his government’s firm dedication to employee welfare.

“I have a history of fighting for labour rights. Because of this, I engaged in constructive discussions with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC),” the governor explained.

He mentioned that, although the minimum wage requirement had been fulfilled, his administration was actively exploring incremental adjustments to salaries. These are not mandatory but discretionary improvements aimed at ensuring fairness across various employment levels.

Sani elaborated further:

“I discussed with both NLC and TUC leadership. We explored multiple proposals and eventually narrowed them down to three viable options. By God’s grace, we will apply the most suitable incremental adjustment that benefits every civil servant in Kaduna, including senior staff.”

Kaduna Government Prioritizes Retiree Benefits

Governor Sani also stressed that improving the lives of pensioners is a core agenda of his administration. He disclosed that the Kaduna State Government disbursed ₦3.8 billion in April to clear outstanding gratuities, death benefits, and entitlements under the contributory pension scheme.

He added:

“Since we assumed office, our administration has paid a total of ₦10.4 billion covering gratuities, death benefits, and accumulated rights in the Contributory Pension Scheme. This shows our resolve to reduce the financial burdens of our retirees.”

Kaduna State University (KASU) Challenges Under Review

In response to the ongoing industrial action by academic staff at Kaduna State University (KASU), Governor Sani highlighted his administration’s efforts to revamp the institution. He noted that over 60% of the university’s programmes lacked accreditation when he came into office.

To address this, the government invested over ₦300 million to obtain full accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

However, he acknowledged the financial challenges tied to the lecturers’ demands, which he said span 17 years and amount to between ₦5 billion and ₦6 billion.

“Despite these demands, I insisted on initiating dialogue. I asked the lecturers: where were your voices over the past 17 years when these issues piled up?”

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to resolving all lingering issues through peaceful negotiations, adding that he remains convinced that “education is the greatest leveller.”