The Kebbi state governor, Nasir Idris, has said his administration stands with Nigerian workers in the march to prosperity.
He affirmed this commitment at the maiden Nigeria Rights of Workers Summit, in Birnin Kebbi, Thursday.
He assured of the determination to sustain the promotion of welfare of civil servants, adding that the administration has established a remarkable standard of excellence in the payment of the new minimum wage which the Kebbi government increased to N75,000 above the national take home of N70,000.
“Since assuming the mantle of leadership, my administration has maintained regular payments of salary, gratuity, death benefits and pension.
“From 2023-date, the government has disbursed N16 billion as gratuity to retired civil servants and death benefits to families of deceased workers.
“Furthermore, I’ve increased cash allocation to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), for efficient service delivery.
“I’m also a supporter of salary review for Nigerian workers and government is ready to implement whatever will be the outcome of the negotiations for a new wage.
“We acknowledge that human capital is the greatest asset of the Kebbi state,” Idris stated.
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, who is the NLC deputy president, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, informed the audience that the NLC will again engage the federal government in negotiations for a new minimum wage.
“As the lifespan of the current wage expires, Labour will enter into fresh negotiations to secure a deal, anything below N500,000 is inadequate for a living wage,” he said.
The organiser of the summit, Dr. Ekpa Stanley Ekpa, stated that part of the objective was to celebrate 88 years of the legalisation of unionism in Nigeria, premised on improved condition of service for workers.