Governors from the Northwest zone were on Thursday conspicuously absent at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano, the venue of the ongoing Public hearing on the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage.
A correspondent of the Punch who covered the event reports that none of the governors attended the program as only the Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda sent representation while the host Governor was represented by his Deputy, Abdulsslam Gwarzo.
Read also: Court Restrains Kano Govt From Disbursing Kano LGAs Funds
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Kano State Governor represented by his Deputy, Abdulsalam Gwarzo commended the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for setting up the committee to come up with a new minimum wage for the workers in the country.
He assured that the state will commit itself on the implementation of the new minimum wage when it becomes effective while restating the commitment of the government to the welfare of the State civil servants through the prompt payment of salaries.
He said pensioners in the state are now having a renewed hope as the state government had recently paid N6 billion to the pensioners as part of measures to alleviate their sufferings.
He expressed hope that the public hearing will come up with useful inputs that would enable government to implement for the betterment of the Nigerian workers.
Read also: BUK Blames KEDCO Over Power Outage At College Of Health Sciences
In his remarks, the Katsina State Governor represented by the Commissioner Information, Dr. Bala Zango said the State government will abide by the outcome of the meeting.
“Whatever the outcome, Katsina state government will abide by it as the government is committed to the welfare of its workers,” he said.
He disclosed that the State Government had recently paid N5 billion as death benefits to workers in addition to disbursing N700 million as refurbishing loans to the state workers.
“Katsina State government has a good working relationship with the workers as we have been paying salaries and other allowances as and when due,” Zango said.
He also applauded President Bola Tinibu for constituting the committees in spite of the current economic situation in the country saying it’s a clear indication that he was concerned about the welfare of workers.
Read also: Traditional ruler urges Ganduje to rehabilitate Albasu-Maimakawa road
Also speaking, the chairman of the Northwest Public Hearing, Dr. Ahmed Rabiu urged all participants to expressed their views openly, share their experiences and provide constructive suggestions.
“Your inputs is valuable in shaping policies that will only impact livelihoods of our citizens but also contribute to the overall economic growth and social wellbeing of our nation,” he said.
