Kano okays N71,000 minimum wage as NUT urges wider implementation

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has approved N71,000 as statutory wage for civil servants.

In a statement on his official Facebook page, the governor said the payment takes effect from November ending.

He explained that the new wage would increase the monthly wage bill by N6 billion at the state level, and N7 billion for local government workers.

His words: “In line with our commitment to social Justice and enhancement of the standard of living for our workers, we have approved the sum of N71,000 as the new minimum wage in Kano State.

“Additionally, following the promotion of 20,737 teachers by our government, a total increment, amounting to over N340 million, has now been reflected in their respective salaries.”

In a related development, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has appealed for the implementation of the minimum wage by all states.

Its president, Audu Amba, made the call in Yola yesterday at the delegates conference of the Adamawa State wing of the union, stressing that teachers, in particular, needed the deserved motivation to be at their best.

Referring mostly to states yet to implement the wage as well as implementing states that are leaving out some categories of teachers, the NUT president submitted that preferential treatment would affect education delivery.

He said he was happy that Adamawa was prompt to start implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, but expressed sadness that local government workers and primary school teachers were yet to benefit.
The NUT boss equally called on Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, to ensure that primary school teachers and local government workers also benefit from the 70,000 minimum wage earlier approved and implemented in the state.

Amba, who commended the governor for being the second to approve the minimum wage increment in the country, expressed dismay that primary school teachers and local government employees have benefited from the increment three months after its implementation.

He was speaking during the 12th Delegate Conference of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Adamawa yesterday, with the theme, “Educational Challenges in an Economy of Uncertainty: Effects on Teachers.”

Earlier, the state Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Emmanuel Fache, urged the state government to extend the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage to primary schools. He equally appealed for more teachers, especially at the primary school level.