TheCable

Kano state government says it is unable to pay workers March consolidated wages due to a drop in federal allocation to the state.

Muhammad Garba, Kano state commissioner for information, said this in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, Kano received N12.4 billion from the federation account in March, in which the state collected N6.1 billion while the 44 local government areas (LGAs) collected N6.3 billion.

“The drop in federal allocation for the period under review has made it difficult for the government to implement the new salary package,” the statement read.

“It is, although, a temporary measure. For the state government to be able to pay the consolidated wages to its workers, it needs additional billions of naira, which is currently not available.”

Kano state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) had given a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to refund and stop what it described as “illegal deduction” from civil servants’ salaries or face industrial action.

Kabiru Ado Minjibir, chairman of NLC in Kano, insisted that if the state government failed to stop the “unexplained” deduction before the end of its ultimatum on April 6, 2021, workers would embark on a three-day warning strike from the midnight of April 7.

However, Gabra said the organised labour union ought to have reasoned with it before taking the action as such move will not solve any problem.

He said the state government, against all odds, has never dithered in the payment of workers’ salary since its inception.

He, therefore, called for support and cooperation of NLC Kano chapter and the entire workforce in general to maintain the good working relationship with the state government in the interest of industrial harmony.

Garba assured workers that they would continue to receive the new package as soon as the situation improved.