Ganduje says recession informed decisio to dump N30,000 minimum wage, opt for N18,000

Due to the recession occassioned by the COVID-19 pandemic,

Kano State Government came up feebly on Wednesday to rationalise its decision to dump N30,000 as workers’ minimum wage in the state.

The state has opted for N18,000, a policy review that has generated a rash of criticism within and outside the State with organised Labour kicking vigorously.

The state government said it was stopping the new minimum wage and reverting to the old minimum wage of N18,000 because of dwindling resources worsened by the global economic recession.

Nigeria has slid into her second recession in five years. Kano and many unfixable states have got to review their expenditures in the face of dwindling income and or revenue.

Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Media, Salihu Tanko Yakasai confirmed this to newsmen on Wednesday.

Yakasai said, “Yes, the state government has also stopped the payment of N30,000 minimum wage to its workers with immediate effect.

“The state was unable to continue paying N30,000 because what the state was currently getting as a government had reduced.

“The state government has reverted to the initial minimum wage due to the recession.”

“What we are getting now as a government has reduced, and we can’t afford to pay the N30,000 minimum wage,” he said.

Yakasai didn’t state when the new minimum wage would be restored.

Kano state government had sometimes in late 2019 and early 2020 agreed to commence payment of the new minimum wage.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in April 2019 signed the new minimum wage act into law, which stipulates N30,000 as the minimum wage.

State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir had yet to react to the development as of the time of publication of the report.