Kaduna State will implement the new national minimum wage from September 2019, a government statement said on Monday.
Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser to the state Governor on Media and Communication, who issued the statement, said the state Executive Council approved the payment with effect from Sept. 1.
“According to the new wage structure, the lowest paid workers in the civil service enjoyed increments of as much as 67 percent.
“Middle-ranking officers from Grade 10 to 14 were awarded increments of 60 percent,” the statement said.
It added that paying the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments will increase the wage bill of the state government by 33 percent.
“Gross monthly salary outlay will rise to N3.759 billion from the current N2.827 billion.
“This almost N1 billion monthly increase in the wage bill means that salary and pension commitments will take the lion’s share of state government expenditure.
“Meeting these salary obligations while meeting development objectives for citizens will further raise the pressure to expand and deepen revenue sources and collections,” the statement noted.
The Monday’s Executive Council meeting was chaired by Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the state Deputy Governor.
The state government had in early 2018 set up a cabinet committee to work on the new minimum wage based on ability to pay and sustainability.