Kaduna NLC Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman
Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has dismissed claims that the state government has failed to implement the new ₦72,000 minimum wage, insisting that the process is already in place.
This followed a recent report by Sahara Reporters citing the Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ), which alleged that Kaduna had yet to effect the new wage.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the Kaduna NLC Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, said the assertions were “not entirely accurate” and required clarification.
According to him, implementation has already commenced for workers on Grade Levels 1–6 in the state civil service, who have been placed on the new wage structure, what remains, he explained, is the consequential adjustment across other cadres and sectors.
“The new ₦72,000 minimum wage has taken effect in Kaduna State. Workers on Grade Levels 1–6 are already receiving it. What is outstanding is the consequential adjustment for higher cadres, tertiary institutions, and parastatals, which the government has tied to the ongoing staff and pension verification exercise,” Suleiman stated.
He recalled that the Kaduna State Government had, in October 2024, constituted a Consequential Adjustment Committee chaired by the then Head of Service, Hajiya Habiba Shekarau. Following negotiations, the NLC embarked on a strike on December 2, 2024, which was suspended a day later after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where government pledged full implementation.
Suleiman added that earlier this month, the state government adopted new salary tables for health workers under the CONMESS and CONHESS structures, aligning them with the ₦72,000 framework, a move the NLC described as a sign of commitment.
Despite this progress, the labour leader admitted that gaps remain, particularly at the local government level where primary school teachers, local government employees, and primary healthcare workers are yet to benefit.
“This explains the discrepancies reported in some local government areas (LGAs) by NGIJ, where teachers are still receiving salaries based on the old wage structure,” he said.
He noted that the challenges had already prompted strike threats from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
The NLC assured workers that engagements with the government are ongoing and vowed to keep pressing until full implementation is achieved.
“Our position remains firm: all categories of workers and pensioners in Kaduna State, local government, teachers, health workers, and tertiary institutions must benefit from the ₦72,000 minimum wage and the consequential adjustments,” Suleiman said.
