The Kano State Government on Monday said in view of its current financial situation, it would find it difficult to implement the consolidated salary for the month of March, adding that the situation was temporary.
The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, in a press statement explained that the drop in federal allocation had made it difficult for the government to implement the new salary package.
For the month of March, Garba said the state government received a total allocation of N12.4bn from the federation account, out of which the state collected N6,1bn, while the 44 local governments collected N6.3bn
Furthermore, the Commissioner explained that for the state government to pay the consolidated wages to its workers, it would need additional fund, which was not available.
He pointed out that during 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.
Garba recalled that in November and December, last year, similar necessary but temporary measure was adopted in the payment of workers’ salary which wasreversed for the months of January and February when the situation improved.
The commissioner further noted that Kano was the first among the few states in the federation to agree to the implementation of the minimum wage, which should be put into consideration by the organised labour.
Garba solicited the support and cooperation of labour union and the entire workforce to sustain the cordial working relationship with the government in the interest of industrial harmony.
