The Gombe state Government says it would resume payment of the suspended N30, 000 minimum wage to its workers.
Our correspondent recalls that the state government had on March 2020 suspended the payment of the N30,000 minimum wage.
The government had attributed the suspension to the dwindling finances due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.
Mr Muhammad Magaji, the state Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, disclosed this during a press briefing while giving a breakdown of the 2021 approved budget on Thursday in Gombe.
Magaji said that the 2021 budget had captured the new minimum wage and that “ explains why the personnel cost has gone up in the 2021 approved budget.”
According to him, a warrant which has captured the reinstatement of the new minimum wage had been sent to Gov. Inuwa Yahaya.
The Commissioner said, “we hope that His Excellency (Gov. Yahaya) will sign the warrant today and of course the Accountant General will oblige by Jan 1 to begin to implement the warrant.”
He commended workers in the state for their understanding and patience gave the impact of COVID-19 on the economy which necessitated so many decisions of government including a downward review of the 2020 budget.
The Commissioner also stated that given the Gov. Yahaya-led administration’s desire to improve on the wellbeing of citizens of the state, the cost of governance had been reduced.
Magaji stated that before this present administration, the cost of governance was 25 per cent of the budget but now it had been reduced to less than 10 per cent of the budget.
“We have tried to drive down those costs and we will continue to do that to free more resources for the benefit of the larger society.
“We have 3.6 million people and if you are going to spend 25 per cent of the budget on less than 1 per cent of that population size, that means something is wrong with the spending pattern,” he said.
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