Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara has pledged to decisively deal with workers receiving multiple salaries in the state civil service.
The governor made the disclosure on Wednesday while speaking at the 2024 Workers’ Day celebration held in Gusau.
He advised them to support the present administration in its determination to sanitise the state civil service and charged them to shun all forms of corruption in view of the fact that the state workforce was overloaded with multiple salary collectors.
”I am not impressed with workers’ take home as well as the working condition in the state, but I must first of all, ascertain the actual and genuine figure of workers, to be able to decide what to pay as minimum wage.
“Therefore, labour should continue to bear with us and support our policies and programmes to achieve better condition for the workers,” he said.
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The governor assured that his administration was in the process of authenticating the real staff of both state and local government, assuring that once it finishes with ghost workers, multiple salary earners and other irregularities, a new minimum wage would be announced.
“Our policies are not meant to witch-hunt anybody but we are determined to ensure good reform in the public service and other sectors of the economy.
“So far, we have paid a total of N3.841 billion for the settlement of gratuity and backlog of pension for both state and local government employees.
“This will continue until all backload of pension and gratuity are paid completely,” he noted.
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In his remarks, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Zamfara chapter, Sani Haliru commended the efforts of Gov. Lawal in addressing the lingering security challenges under low economic status.
The chairman appreciated the governor for what he described as kind gesture towards retirees, adding that the present administration had paid the backload of gratuity and ensured timely payment of salaries.
Haliru enumerated some challenges of labour in the state to include; delay in promotion, non-implementation of annual increment and non-implementation of minimum wage and wage award across board.
“It is extremely important to inform the governor that it’s only in Zamfara that workers are found receiving less than N7,000 as monthly salary for more than two decades,” the chairman lamented.