Drop in allocation: KNSG says monarch consolidated wages not feasible

• …Advises labour to shelve proposed strike

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Kano state government has said that against all odds, it has never dithered in the payment of workers’ salary since its inception.
It stated that given the present financial situation, it would find it difficult to implement the consolidated salary for the month of March, which is though a temporary measure.
The state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who made the assertion in a statement, explained that the drop in federal allocation for the period under review has made it difficult for the government to implement the new salary package.
Malam Garba said for the month of March, the state government received a total allocation of N12, 400, 000, 000 billion from the federation account, out of which the state collected N6, 100, 000, 000, 000 billion, while the 44 local governments collected the sum of N6, 300, 000, 000 billion.
The commissioner explained that for the state government to pay the consolidated wages to its workers, it needs additional billions of naira which is currently not available.
He pointed out that at its meeting with the labour union in May 2020, there was an understanding that government would pay workers’ salaries based on percentage of the total disbursement received.
Malam Garba recalled that in November/December, last year, similar necessary but temporary measure was adopted in the payment of workers’ salary as a result of the shortage to keep the government going which was, however, reversed for the months of January and February, after the situation improved.
The commissioner further recalled that Kano was the first among the few states in the federation to agree to the implementation of the minimum wage without any hesitation which should have been put into consideration by the organized labour.
He noted that given the situation, the organised labour ought to have reason with the government because embarking on strike won’t in any way solve the problem.
Malam Garba passionately enlisted the support and cooperation of the labour union and the entire workforce in general to maintain the good working relationship with the government in the interest of industrial harmony.