The Kaduna State Government said it would begin the implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000 in September, this year.
According to a statement issued by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Muyiwa Adekeye, this followed the approval by the State Executive Council on Monday.
The government, however, said the implementation of the new minimum wage would increase the monthly wage bill of the Kaduna State Government by 33 per cent.
According to the statement, the gross monthly salary outlay will now rise to N3.759bn from the current N2.827bn.
The statement read, “This almost N1bn monthly increase in the wage bill means that salary and pension commitments will take the lion’s share of the state government’s expenditure.
“Meeting these salary obligations while meeting development objectives for citizens will further raise the pressure to expand and deepen revenue sources and collections.
“According to the new wage structure, the lowest paid worker in the civil service will enjoy increment of as much as 67 per cent. Middle-ranking officers from Grade 10 to 14 are awarded increment of 60 per cent.
It noted that the council deliberated on the minimum wage memo and unanimously approved commencement of the implementation in September 2019.
The statement said, “ The Kaduna State Executive Council today (Monday) approve that the payment of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments to civil servants should begin from September 1, 2019.
“The State Executive Council stated that its commitment to the public service includes a desire to improve the standard of living of workers in the state. Pursuant to that, the Kaduna State Government launched a pay review process early in 2018. A cabinet committee was charged with exploring how the Kaduna State Government could sustainably improve public sector salaries.”
