The Kebbi State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has thrown its weight behind Governor Nasir Idris’s administration regarding worker welfare, asserting that the state government has proven its dedication to bettering employees’ working conditions.
The State NLC Chairman, Alhaji Murtala Usman, stated this while briefing journalists in Birnin Kebbi in reaction to the Independence Day address by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Usman acknowledged Malami’s proposals on minimum wage, promotions, pensions and gratuities, transportation, healthcare, housing, retirement age and workers’ participation in governance.
However, he rejected what he described as sweeping allegations that workers in the state were suffering due to the government’s alleged failure to pay pensions, implement promotions or unlawful deductions from salaries.
The NLC chairman said trade unionism was based on facts, evidence, negotiation and institutional engagement, rather than unverified political claims.
He said the union had maintained continuous engagement with the state government since Governor Idris assumed office in 2023 on issues affecting workers through collective bargaining, social dialogue and consultation.
According to him, several workers’ demands have been addressed, while others remain subjects of ongoing negotiations.
Usman said the state government had approved and implemented a N75,000 minimum wage, which he noted was above the then N70,000 national minimum wage benchmark.
He, however, stressed that the implementation had not ended the union’s demand for improved purchasing power and better conditions of service, particularly amid rising inflation and the increasing cost of living.
The NLC chairman also acknowledged Malami’s promise to pay workers a N110,000 minimum wage if elected governor in 2027, but said such promises should be assessed based on their funding, sustainability and implementation mechanisms.
Usman listed some of the administration’s interventions as the completion and equipping of the state Secretariat, regular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities, payment of responsibility allowances to primary school teachers, recruitment of 2,568 health workers and employment of 2,000 qualified teachers.
He also cited the extension of the retirement age for teachers, medical doctors and veterinary doctors from 60 to 65 years, as well as an increase in the service period from 35 to 40 years.
On healthcare, Usman said the government had invested in the renovation and revitalisation of general hospitals and primary healthcare centres, recruited health personnel and absorbed GAVI personnel into the state payroll.
Other interventions, according to him, include road construction and rehabilitation, provision of transport buses and subsidised transportation, as well as the annual distribution of grains and agricultural inputs to workers.
In education, Usman said the administration had rehabilitated 320 junior and senior secondary schools, constructed 30 new junior secondary schools and 18 senior secondary schools, while more than 2,000 desktop computers had been supplied to 100 schools.
He added that the new minimum wage structure had also been implemented for staff of the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, and the Kebbi State Polytechnic, including consequential salary adjustments for KSUSTA workers.
Despite these interventions, Usman acknowledged that workers continued to face challenges, particularly rising inflation, declining purchasing power, promotions, allowances, career progression, pensions and gratuities.
He stressed that the NLC remained independent and non-partisan, saying the union would neither serve as an appendage of government nor become an instrument of political opposition.
Usman said the union would continue to negotiate with government, commend positive interventions, demand improvements and challenge policies that infringe on workers’ rights, while mobilising workers lawfully when necessary.
He urged political actors to base their campaigns on verifiable facts and realistic programmes capable of improving the welfare of workers and the wider society.
Usman also challenged anyone with evidence of unlawful salary deductions, unpaid promotions, pensions or gratuities to present such cases to the union for consideration and appropriate action.
He said the NLC remained ready to pursue genuine grievances through established collective bargaining and grievance-resolution mechanisms.
The NLC chairman called on political actors to make workers’ welfare a genuine policy issue rather than a tool for partisan politics, urging candidates to present programmes that are both attractive and implementable.
What You Should Know
The Nigeria Labour Congress in Kebbi State has publicly defended Governor Nasir Idris’s administration against criticisms raised by opposition political figures regarding how civil servants are treated.
- Positive Impact: Workers in Kebbi State enjoy a newly implemented minimum wage of N75,000 (which exceeds the national benchmark) along with regular salary disbursements, pension distributions, and expanded retirement benefits.
- Potential Concerns: Despite these welfare interventions, civil servants continue to grapple with broader national economic hardships like high inflation, highlighting a persistent gap between state policy actions and rising living costs.
