…Pledge N110,000 minimum wage

Governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the seven states of the Northwest have backed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on his pledge to restore fuel subsidy if elected President in 2027.

The candidates also pledged to implement a minimum wage of N110,000 for workers across the seven states if elected.

The position was contained in the Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027–2031, adopted and signed by the candidates on Wednesday in Abuja.

This is coming as campaigns for the 2027 governorship elections commenced.

The seven candidates are Sabo Mohammed Nakudu (Jigawa), Isa Mohammed Ashiru (Kaduna), Ibrahim Ali Amin (Kano), Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina), Abubakar Malami, SAN (Kebbi), Manir Muhammad Dan’iya (Sokoto), and Bilyaminu Shinkafi (Zamfara).

Speaking on behalf of the candidates, the Kebbi State governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami, said the removal of fuel subsidy by the APC-led Federal Government had pushed residents of the region into deeper poverty.

The candidates said they supported Atiku’s promise to restore the subsidy as one of the immediate measures to halt what they described as the worsening economic hardship confronting Nigerians.

The declaration stated: “We, the ADC Governorship Candidates of the seven Northwest States, hereby declare our total support for the promise made by the ADC Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to restore the subsidy as one of the immediate steps to halt the further slide of our people into abject poverty.”

The candidates also committed to implementing a N110,000 minimum wage for workers across Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states if elected.

They said the decision was part of a broader regional covenant aimed at addressing insecurity, poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, education and healthcare challenges confronting the Northwest.

According to them, the region has been severely affected by insecurity, with more than 16,000 lives allegedly lost between June 2023 and August 2026, while over 1,583 kidnapping incidents since January 2023 had resulted in more than 10,000 people being taken from their homes and farms.

Malami claimed that more than 533,000 hectares of farmland in Zamfara and Katsina states had been abandoned as a result of insecurity.

The candidates said insecurity had disrupted farming, worsened food insecurity and contributed to the growing number of children out of school in the region.

They therefore pledged to establish a technology-enabled surveillance and rapid-response network in each of the 21 senatorial districts across the seven states.

Under the plan, drones would be deployed across the region, alongside the establishment of a Northwest Regional Security Coordination Centre.

The proposed centre, they said, would integrate lawful aerial surveillance, community intelligence, emergency reporting and geospatial data to improve early warning, command and control, verification and rapid response by the appropriate security agencies.

The ADC candidates also pledged to work collectively on issues that transcend state boundaries while retaining the constitutional authority of their respective governments.

They promised to coordinate their security architecture, establish common standards, pool investments, facilitate cross-border trade, share data and develop joint infrastructure.

On education, the candidates promised to declare an emergency, secure full access to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention, integrate Almajiri and Tsangaya children into formal education and expand teacher recruitment and training.

They also pledged to establish one specialist hospital in each of the 21 senatorial districts across the region, while expanding primary healthcare, midwifery, telemedicine and community health insurance.

On agriculture, they promised protected agricultural corridors, formalised livestock production, agro-processing, a regional grain reserve and rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure.

They proposed a Regional Youth Fund, expanded technical and vocational education and training, digital hubs, support for micro, small and medium enterprises and improved access to development finance.

The candidates further pledged to publish their performance quarterly if elected, saying their administrations would be subjected to independent public scrutiny.

They accused the APC-led administrations in the region of poor governance and alleged massive looting of public resources, saying the governments had failed to adequately improve the living conditions of residents.

The candidates also criticised the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy had worsened the economic hardship faced by households in the region.

The candidates also announced the establishment of a Central Coordination Committee, chaired by former House of Representatives member, Abdussamad Dasuki; a Technical Committee, chaired by retired Major General Aminu Bande and co-chaired by Professor Sadiq Abubakar; and a Media and Strategic Communications Committee, co-chaired by Salihu Tanko Yakasai.