BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
As Sokoto State Government commences payment of the 70,000 naira new minimum wage, the state chapter of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to support the state by fishing out ghost workers as much as possible.
Giving the assurance in his office on Monday after commending Governor Ahmed Aliyu for taking the lead in the implementation, the state’s NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Jungle, described the government as passionate about human beings in the state.
Reacting to questions from newsmen in his office, the state NLC chairman, lauded Sokoto state government for not only ensuring the payment of the new minimum wage but also largely fulfilling his campaign promises.
While calling on civil servants in the state to reciprocate the gesture by re-dedicating themselves to their jobs, Comrade Jungle reaffirmed that the new minimum wage payment is a giant stride that all must appreciate.
“We are happy that Sokoto is among the first sets of states to commence the implementation of the 70,000 new minimum wage. For me and many others, that is something we should be grateful for because, as we speak almost 28 states of the federation are still using the old salary structure”.
Speaking on the ongoing verification of workers exercise, Comrade Jungle, who is also a member of the committee set up by the state government, said they would strive to sanitize the workforce by fishing out ghost workers as much as possible.
He said the verification exercise was not targeted at witch-hunting, adding that the state government is committed to ensuring credible verification, hence, no interference from any government officials.
“In the process of our verification today, we have identified 6 ghost workers and do away with them and we will continue to try our best.”
He further appealed to civil servants in the state to set aside their political differences and support the Governor Aliyu led government towards moving the state forward.
