PDP challenges Gov Aliyu over implementation of new minimum wage

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State has urged the government led by Ahmed Aliyu to promptly implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000 for the state’s workforce.

This call was made in a statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary, Hassan Sahabi Sanyinnawal, and shared with newsmen on Friday.

According to the statement, “With the signing of the New Minimum Wage by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 29, 2024, it’s incumbent upon the government to hasten its implementation. This remains the only way to incentivise the state’s civil servants towards productivity, especially in view of the hardships they confront occasioned by the cost of living crises in the country.”

The statement expressed concern over the delay by the Ahmed Aliyu-led government in actualising the new wage, despite its professed commitment to the welfare of state civil servants.

“Sokoto State government should have ‘led the pack’ in the payment of the new wage, as some states, such as Kebbi, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Adamawa, Gombe, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Kogi, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, and Abia, amongst others, have either settled on N70,000 or more than that as minimum wage for their civil servants effective from October 2024,” the statement read.

The PDP highlighted that no maximum productivity could be achieved from the state’s civil servants under the current conditions, which are marked by low morale, as many struggle to reach their workplaces due to soaring transport fares.

Additionally, the PDP advised the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to be more proactive in advocating for the new minimum wage for the state’s workers, as their voices have been rarely heard in this struggle.

Efforts to reach the state commissioner for information, Bello Sambo Danchadi, were unsuccessful, as his contact information was unavailable at the time of this report.

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