‘Minimum wage will push Kano wage bill to N10bn monthly’

The Kano State Head of Service, Dr Kabiru Shehu, has disclosed that the wage bill for the state civil service would rise above N10 billion monthly when the new minimum wage is eventually implemented.

The current wage bill of the state stands at N9.6 billion monthly for over 180, 000 workers, it was gathered.

Addressing the press yesterday, however, Shehu reiterated the determination of the state government to commence payment of the new minimum wage once the technical committee saddled with the responsibility of negotiating some adjustments with the labour unions concludes its assignment.

It would be recalled that the state government offered to pay N30, 600 as its new minimum wage.

Though, he was not specific when the committee will conclude its work, the Head of Service said the minimum wage, once implemented, would be paid in arrears.

“We have noted that the Federal Government directed the ministry of finance to pay arrears from April. This we have noted and we also are going to do same. We have taken the advice and by God’s grace when we implement our own minimum wage we will consider the payment of arrears as well but there is difference in finances between the federal and the state government and therefore whatever we do, we will do in accordance with the financial situation of our state.

“The government of Kano State had from the beginning agreed to pay a minimum wage of N30,600 and we still stand by that. What we have not done is that we have not completed our meetings with Labour and the negotiation council with regards to the exact percentage that we are going to spread across the board from level 7 to 17’’, he said.