TheCable

The Kaduna state government has directed its ministry of finance to pay May salaries to workers ahead of the set date for payment.

Workers in the state are said to usually receive their salaries on the 25th of every month.

The Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr, is expected to be celebrated during the weekend.

Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor, announced the early payment of salaries during a live media chat she hosted with Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, on Tuesday.

A statement by Muyiwa Adekeye, special adviser on media to the governor, quoted Balarabe as saying that workers should be prudent with their spending during this period.

Adekeye said the early payment of salaries would afford workers the opportunity to stock up on food items and other supplies on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Kaduna state is the first government to comply with the new national wage which it began paying along with consequential adjustments with effect from 1st September, 2019,” he said.

“The state government had initiated and concluded its own wage review before the federal government launched new minimum wage negotiations with the labour unions in 2018.

“[The] review was implemented as a key component of its public service reform and revitalisation programme launched in 2016 to transform the public service into a more efficient and responsive, IT-compliant and younger institution.

“Prior to the initiation of the public service reform programme, the state government announced during the revenue slump of 2016 that it was prioritising personnel costs as a key component of its budget adjustment mechanism.”