Babatunji Wusu –
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has approved the payment of a N20,000 wage award to every civil servants in the state.
This decisive step is a direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s worldwide plea, which urged state governments to ease the financial burden on their citizens in the face of rising economic problems.
President Tinubu, who has been vociferous about the need for financial relief measures, highlighted the significance of the wage award during his recent visit to Minna on Monday, March 11.
The visit, which included the commissioning of the newly established domestic terminal at the renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport Minna and the unveiling of a significant agricultural mechanization project led by Governor Bago, provided an ideal opportunity for the President to advocate for this critical initiative.
President Tinubu emphasized the potential benefits, claiming that the execution of the wage award by the states might bring critical assistance to the people while reducing inflationary pressures on the economy.
President Tinubu emphasized the importance of a coordinated approach, urging all states to follow suit in implementing the salary award.
He stated that the National Executive Council intends to support this project, which represents a critical step toward national economic recovery.
Tinubu said, “If all of you, the sub-nationals have been paying the wages award, pending the determination of the new salary wage. Let all the state start paying the wages award. Whatever they are taking now plus the wage award would relieve the public.
“Please, I am not giving an order, I am appealing to you states, start paying the wages awards, let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people. The mechanism is the fact that that it won’t be inflationary if we announce the new salary wage in a few weeks or months, they would have gotten use to the basic wages of N30,000 plus the wages award, it will have dampening effect on the market. Please get sub-nationals together and NEC should adopt this.”
The Niger state governor decided to pay the N20,000 wage award at the state Executive Council meeting in Minna on Wednesday.
The governor told workers that the payment would be made without fail on Wednesday, and they will begin to receive reminders to that effect.
Bago also stated that people will be fed at various spots across the wards throughout Ramadan, and that the state government will begin distributing palliatives in the form of 120 trucks of grain to alleviate the people’s situation.
