Month: August 2024

Punch Newspaper

Independent petroleum marketers in Nigeria are hoping that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will sell its Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, at N600 or N650/litre when it is finally released into the market.

Dealers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria said they believe that the Dangote refinery would crash the price of petrol as it did with diesel.

IPMAN National Vice President, Hammed Fashola, told PUNCH correspondent in an interview on Monday that the $20bn refinery would bring down the cost of fuel if it gets the needed support, especially as it has to do with crude supply.

According to him, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which is the sole importer of PMS has been selling to marketers at N570/litre, but most IPMAN members buy from private depot owners at N700 and above.

“We are marketers, we go for the best. We have been buying from the NNPC, but if the opportunity of Dangote comes and the price is favourable, we will grab it. It depends on the price.

“The official price from the NNPC is around N570/litre, but the third parties, the private depots sell PMS to most of our members at N700 and above.

“Plus or minus, we hope Dangote can sell between N600 and N650/litre. N600 is still okay. However, it depends on the cost of the production from Dangote’s end. We have to be factual and sincere to ourselves. The NNPC we are talking about has an element of subsidy or what they now call under-recovery. I think something is hidden there,” Fashola stated.

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Speaking about diesel price, Fashola recalled, “We know Dangote refinery crashed the price of diesel. When the refinery started producing, diesel was around N1,600 and it went down to N1,000.

“Now you can buy diesel at N1,150 or N1,200/litre. We expect the same with PMS, but this crude crisis is a major challenge. Even if Dangote is buying crude in naira, if it is at the international market price, it will make no difference. We have to be realistic.”

The IPMAN leader said the association has had business discussions with some officials of the refinery on a possible partnership, saying the marketers are waiting for Dangote.

“The discussion continues. We are on course. I think very soon we will conclude the discussion. We are waiting,” he stated.

The PUNCH recalls that the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had last month projected that the refinery would begin the production of petrol between August 10 and 12, 2024.

However, the 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery could not roll out petrol on Monday for different reasons.

Findings showed that the ongoing crude supply crisis might be a setback to the refinery.

Punch Newspaper

The Federal Government and state governors may have agreed to a three-month moratorium on Local Government autonomy, over concerns arising from its impact on salary payments and operational viability, The PUNCH learnt on Monday.

The development means Local Governments may wait till October before the implementation of the law in the direct payment into their respective accounts.

The Supreme Court, on July 11, 2024, gave a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of the 774 LGs in the country and ruled that governors could no longer control funds meant for the councils.

The apex court also directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay LG allocations directly to their accounts, as it declared the non-remittance of funds by the 36 states unconstitutional.

Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit issued a regulation, effective from June 1, 2019, which banned transactions on State and Local Governments Joint Accounts. Funds were sent directly to the accounts of the local governments. It also limited cash withdrawals from local governments accounts to a maximum amount of N500,000 per day with penalties for banks that failed to comply. The Nigerian governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum kicked against this regulation and the NFIU eventually capitulated.

The status quo was maintained until May 2024 when the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), filed suit marked SC/CV/343/2024 at the Supreme Court to strengthen the autonomy of the local government areas as guaranteed by the constitution. It sought to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government councils and establishing caretaker committees, actions that violate constitutional provisions. The AGF argued that the constitution mandates a democratically elected local government system and does not allow alternative governance structures.

The suit also prayed that the funds from the Federation Account be channelled directly to local governments, bypassing the allegedly unlawful joint accounts managed by state governors. The Federal Government also sought an injunction to stop governors and their agents from receiving or spending local government funds without a democratically elected local government system in place. It contended that the governors’ failure to establish such a system constitutes a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution. The Supreme Court heard parties to the case on June 13, with the state governments, through their respective attorneys-general, opposing the suit.

That was the prelude to the Supreme Court judgment of last Thursday, July 11, 2024, which has now affirmed the financial autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 local governments. In the unanimous judgment of its seven-member panel, the Supreme Court upheld the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country.

A member of the panel, Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the court’s lead judgment, held that the local governments across the country should henceforth receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation. He ruled that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to receive and withhold funds allocated to local government areas in their states.

Many Nigerians, including the LG chairmen, hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court, describing it as a step in the right direction to restructure the country.

Although some governors voiced their concerns, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, speaking through the chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the judgment was a relief from the financial burden to state governments.

AbdulRazaq, speaking to journalists after meeting President Bola Tinubu on July 12, a day after the judgment, said, “The governors are happy with the devolution of power regarding local government autonomy. The public really doesn’t know how much states spend on bailing out local governments.”

PUNCH findings

However, The PUNCH observed that more than a month after the judgment, the order of the apex court had not been complied with.

In July 2024, total disbursements by the Federation Allocation Account Committee increased to N1.354tn, with LGs receiving N337.019bn.

At the July meeting of FAAC, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, of the total amount shared to the three tiers of government, the Federal Government received N459.776bn, the states received N461.979bn, the LGs got N337.019bn, while the oil-producing states received N95.598bn as derivation (13 per cent of mineral revenue).

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, however, waited in vain to get the money paid directly into the LG accounts.

The Incorporated Trustees of ALGON accused the state commissioners of finance of conspiring with governors to obstruct the direct payment of allocations from the federation account to the 774 LGs’ accounts.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Forum of State Commissioners of Finance in Nigeria, dated July 30, 2024, and signed by its counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), ALGON threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the commissioners if they failed to comply with the Supreme Court order.

Ozekhome stated in the letter that his clients’ enthusiasm over the apex court decision had been thwarted by the finance commissioners committee.

Though another faction of ALGON, led by Aminu Maifata, denied issuing a legal threat against the commissioners’ committee, Ozekhome insisted that he was briefed by the ALGON Board of Trustees in a letter signed by the Secretary-General of the board, Mohammed Abubakar.

The PUNCH reported July 25 that the Federal Government confirmed that it had not yet commenced direct payment of the monthly allocations to the 774 Local Government Areas.

Edun attributed the delay to the proceedings of the Supreme Court, which had not been communicated to the Attorney General of the Federation for proper study and implementation.

He said the process was still in its early stages, adding that further steps would be taken once the full details were available.

The minister said the Federal Government was yet to commence direct payment to the respective LGs due to some “practical impediments” and added that a committee had been set up by the FG to look at the practicability of the judgment.

The PUNCH gathered on Monday that the “practical impediments” were creating challenges for the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy.

The Federal Government, it was learnt, faced challenges implementing the ruling on local government financial autonomy, with concerns over its impact on salary payments and operational viability.

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who raised concerns over the judgment, called for a homegrown solution to ensure the people did not suffer.

“The law is the law and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behoves us to look for our own homegrown solutions that can ensure that we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that will suffer,” Makinde was quoted to have said.

Also, The PUNCH reported that the National President of ALGON, Aminu Mu’azu-Maifata, called for an increase in the monthly allocation to the 774 LGAs to enable them pay the new minimum wage.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lafia, Nasarawa State, recently, Mu’azu-Maifata said, “Once the new minimum wage is enacted by the National Assembly and becomes a law, every council chairman must obey.

“But how to obey such a law is what we will look into. By sourcing funds to pay salaries, we are also going to find ways to attract and harmonise resources so that we will not default.”

Multiple sources close to the NGF and the Federal Government, speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Monday, said the Federal Government was in a fix on how to proceed with the implementation of the judgment on the financial autonomy for Local Government Areas.

“From what I know from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Federal Government and the states are looking for a political solution to manage the fallout of the Supreme Court judgment.

“The first step is the three-month moratorium on the judgment. For the next three months, the LG allocation will still be paid into the joint account with the respective states, while a permanent solution that will serve the objectives of financial autonomy as envisaged by the Supreme Court judgment is worked out,” one of the sources told The PUNCH.

He added, “The governors are happy that the judgment came eventually, as it would relieve them of the burden of having to augment monthly FAAC allocation of the LGs to be able to pay local government staff, primary school teachers, and primary health workers, among others.

“However, they are apprehensive that we may go back to the early 1990 era when primary school teachers and other local government members of staff were owed salaries for an average of 12 to 24 months.”

The source expressed the concerns of the governors that only a few local government areas in the country could actually survive and pay bills conveniently from FAAC allocation and internally generated revenue.

“The issue of financial autonomy per the Supreme Court judgment is not as rosy as it looks. Only a few local governments in Lagos, Rivers, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory can comfortably cover their expenses using only monthly FAAC allocations and their IGR.

“For other states, governors augment their allocation with state funds to be able to pay salaries. That is why the salary of primary school teachers and primary health workers, which are the responsibilities of LGs, is taken as first line charge through the joint account with the state.

“It is clear to both the Federal Government and the governors that there will be a problem with the Supreme Court judgment and the local governments will be rocked by industrial action by workers,” he added.

When reached on Monday by The PUNCH, Ozekhome said he had only seen the alleged agreement between the Federal Government and the states regarding the delay of the LG autonomy implementation on the pages of newspapers.

He said his client, ALGON, did not give him such information.

The constitutional lawyer said he was also not aware that the July allocation for LGs had been paid to the finance commissioners in states.

“If that were done, it would be a frontal attack on the valid and subsisting judgment of the apex court and there are serious legal consequences for such indiscretion,” Ozekhome said.

He added that there was no ultimatum given by ALGON through his chambers for the initiation of contempt proceedings against the finance commissioners of the 36 states of the federation if they did not pay the allocation to the 774 LGs immediately.

Efforts to reach the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), through his spokesperson, Kamarudeen Ogundele, on the AGF’s position on the LGs July allocation paid to state finance commissioners, contrary to the Supreme Court Judgment, proved abortive as he didn’t pick his calls or respond to messages sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.

Also, attempts to reach the Ministry of Finance for comments were futile as the Director of Press, Mohammed Manga, didn’t respond to phone calls made to his line.

LGs confirmation

Chairperson, National Union of Local Government Employees, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Mrs Anestina Iweh, on Monday, confirmed that the July allocation of the 774 LGAs was sent to state commissioners of finance in the respective states.

Iweh, who spoke with one of our correspondents in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, said the allocation was paid to the commissioners because the FG had yet to get to get the account details of the 774 LGAs.

“The Federal Government does not have the account details of the 774 LGAs. They have not done anything, no procedure, no process, even up till date, to update the account details of the 774 LGAs.

“We can’t keep quiet and allow workers to stay without salaries, so money must come for salaries to be paid. If they are ready to act according to the Supreme Court judgement, they will get account details of the 774 LGAs and do the needful.”

However, the Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State, Dr Wali Ahmed, justified the disbursement of the July allocation to the commissioners, saying there was a 90-day window for the implementation of the judgment.

Ahmed confirmed that the councils had been told to update their account details with the Treasury Single Account.

Speaking in a telephone chat with one of our correspondents on the supposed illegality of disbursement to states’ accounts, Ahmed said, “They wrote a letter that within 90 days, all LG signatories should ensure they link their accounts with TSA. So, it’s not yet over.”

In Plateau State, an LG boss, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the FG gave a three-month period before the implementation of the judgement.

“Don’t forget that after the Supreme Court judgement, the Federal Government passed a circular giving a three-month window before the commencement of the implementation. As it is, the period has not elapsed and so there is no cause for alarm,” our source said.

“We at the local government areas are not complaining that our monthly allocations are still channeled through the state government. We receive the allocations due to us as LGs. I don’t know of other LGs but we in Plateau are receiving ours accordingly and the state government does not tamper with it.”

The PUNCH gathered on Monday that all the members of the executive councils of the LGs from Katsina State had relocated to Abuja, though it was not clear who they went to meet as a follow-up to the LG autonomy.

Another LG chairman in Katsina State, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said all chairmen, together with the state ALGON chairman, Bello Kaita, were in Abuja for a meeting on Monday.

“We are all here in Abuja to push for our autonomy, because the Supreme Court judgement ought to be respected, but you see, even the Federal Government allocation was not given, let alone our legal mandate of a four-year tenure. So, we are in Abuja for the issues.”

Efforts to speak with the ALGON chairman, Kaita, were unsuccessful as his telephone number was not connecting as of the time of filing this report.

‘Court ruling belated’

In another twist, the Adamawa State Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Augustina Wandamihya, described the Supreme Court judgement as “belated”, saying LG autonomy had long been implemented by the state.

The commissioner told The PUNCH on Monday that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, in his policy of transparency and accountability, granted local government autonomy during his first tenure in office.

“Since Governor Fintiri took over the mantle of leadership he granted autonomy to the 21 local governments in the state. All the local governments since then get their Federal Government allocation directly, their monies don’t come through the state account,” Wandamihya said.

“If this interview was in the office, I would have shown you all the documents. So, in Adamawa State, the Supreme Court judgement was belated.”

Also speaking on the issue, the state Secretary of ALGON and Chairman, Song Local Government Area, Alhaji Idris Yahaya, said confirmed that the July allocation came directly to his council account.

“Our governor, because of his transparency and his interest for the people at the grassroots, granted local government autonomy long before we came into office,” he stated.

Yahaya said the autonomy had brought rapid development to the grassroots following the financial freedom of councils in the state.

He urged other governors in the country to emulate Fintiri and grant local governments autonomy for speedy development at the grassroots.

The University of Ibadan, UI, has confirmed the receipt of N201m institutional fees remitted by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, for the payment of fees of students who forwarded their applications to the Fund.

The university, in a circular by the Registrar, G.O Salisu, dated August 9, 2024, and addressed to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent on Monday, said students who applied for the loans but had earlier paid their fees can now apply for a refund.

It reads, “ The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has remitted the sum of N201m only to the university account for the 2023/2024 academic session. This amount is to cover the fees of 1,370 students of our university who applied for the NELFUND loan.

“The Bursary Department is currently processing the fund to enable the concerned students to obtain smart receipt.

“Any student who is a beneficiary of the NELFUND loan and has already paid levies for the session fee is entitled to a refund. To apply for a refund, the student must write through the Dean of Students to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, providing their account details for the refund. A photocopy of the original payment receipt must be attached to each application.”

The student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.

Barely a month after his inauguration as President, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which created a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The law, reenacted earlier this year, created NELFUND, saddled with the responsibility of handling all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.

The fund, according to the Act, is to be funded from multiple streams and will engage in other productive activities.

Gunmen attacked and killed six travellers, including a lecturer from the Federal University Wukari and the Deputy Registrar of Taraba State School of Health Technology Takum, in the early hours of Monday along the Takum/Wukari road.

The Taraba State Police Command has confirmed the attack. DSP Kwache Gambo, the command’s Acting Public Relations Officer, confirmed the fatalities to our correspondent.

According to The Nigerian Tribune, a secondary school principal, who was transferred from a secondary school in Takum to Wukari Local Government, was also a victim of the attack.

Meanwhile, Governor Agbu Kefas has condemned the attack and vowed that the perpetrators will not escape justice.

In a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, Emmanuel Bello, the governor expressed deep sadness over the attack and urged security forces to pursue the killers.

“Governor Agbu Kefas received with deep sadness the news of the attacks on innocent passengers on the Takum-Wukari axis that resulted in fatalities.

“The governor condemned the attacks and declared that the perpetrators will not escape justice.

“My commitment to eradicating all acts of criminality and violence, and making Taraba State safe for all, is non-negotiable.

“I urge all Tarabans to support the government and law enforcement agencies by providing credible information to track down the killers,” Governor Kefas said.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has given more detailed report why it withheld the results of 215,267 candidates who participated in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The 2024 WASSCE began on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, and concluded on June 24, 2024.

In a statement made on Monday while announcing the release of the 2024 WASSCE results, Dr. Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria Office at WAEC, revealed that the withheld results were linked to various reported cases of examination malpractice.

Dr. Dangut noted that the percentage of withheld results is 4.37% lower than the 16.29% recorded in the 2023 WASSCE for School Candidates.

He emphasised that WAEC remains committed to addressing examination malpractice, warning that schools, supervisors, teachers, and candidates involved in such activities are compromising the integrity of the educational system.

“The increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls, despite the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are persistent issues we’re facing. All reported cases are currently under investigation, and the findings will be presented to the appropriate committee for final decisions,” he said.

Dr. Dangut added that the decisions of the committee would be communicated to the affected candidates through their respective schools. He also mentioned that candidates could seek redress for their malpractice cases via WAEC’s website if they wish to do so.

Additionally, Dr. Dangut disclosed that 73.79% of candidates, equivalent to 1,332,089 out of the total 1,805,216 who took the exam, achieved credit or above in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and/or Mathematics.

He encouraged candidates to check their results online and apply for their Digital Certificates, which will be available 48 hours after the results are uploaded.

“Candidates who have met their financial obligations to WAEC can access their results on the Council’s website within the next 12 hours. Copies of the Result Listing will be dispatched to schools shortly,” he added.

The examination was conducted across four WAEC member countries: Nigeria, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the release of results for its 2024 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

The 2024 WASSCE was held for a period of seven weeks and six days, from April 30 to June 24.

A total of 1,814,736 candidates registered for the examination from 25,126 recognized secondary schools in the country.

Of this number, 1,805,216 candidates sat the examination.

Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,685,889 candidates, representing 93.39%, have their results fully processed and released while 119,327 candidates (representing 6.61%) have one or more of their subjects still being processed.

WAEC said the results of 215,267 candidates, representing 11.92% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.

This, the council said, is 4.37%, lower than the 16.29% recorded in the WASSCE for school candidates in 2023.

The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has cleared the air over purported directives issued to corps members to upgrade their accounts for the payment of N70,000 minimum wage.

Recall that , President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in July, 2024, approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country.

The decision followed weeks of deliberations with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

There were, however, social media reports that corps members were informed to upgrade their bank accounts to accommodate the N70,000.

In a statement on Sunday, Eddy Megwa, the NYSC spokesperson, dismissed the reports, saying “no directive has been received from the government”.

Megwa described the reports as “absolute falsehood”, adding that the perpetrators are “mischief makers playing on the intelligence of Nigerians”.

The NYSC PRO clarified that the scheme will not make decisions outside the directive of the relevant government agency in charge of wage matters.

He added that corps members would be informed through appropriate channels if there is a new development on their allowance.

“The attention of National Youth Service Corps Management has been drawn to a misleading information circulating in the media regarding payment of N70,000 minimum wage to Corps Members and the directive to upgrade their accounts. This is absolute falsehood which is far from the truth,” the statement reads in part.

“Corps Members, parents, and members of the public should note that no directive has been received from the relevant sector of government responsible for wages matters. It is therefore impossible for the NYSC to issue any information on such.

“Corps Members already know the approved channel and mode of communication in the Scheme and should therefore, ignore the directive accordingly.”

Punch Newspaper

Twenty-seven states and the Federal Capital Territory have yet to set up committees to implement the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage.

The states are Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Zamfara, Benue, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Enugu, Adamawa, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Cross River and Yobe.

However, seven other states — Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia — have set up implementation committees. Only Lagos and Edo claimed to have started paying the minimum wage.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, after meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

Lagos, Edo

Speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the state had been paying more than the minimum wage before it was passed into law.

He said, “When you look at the minimum wage that was paid in Lagos before, the least state worker earned about N77,000. So, if they said the minimum wage is now N70,000, we have no problem with it at all because Lagos has been paying more than that, and we will continue to pay.”

The Edo State Government also said it had started paying the minimum wage.

Kwara, Kano, others set up committees

On August 1, 2024, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, set up an 18-member tripartite committee to work out modalities for the new minimum wage payment.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the committee, comprising representatives from the state government, labour unions, and the Organised Private Sector, had started meeting.

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano also set up an advisory committee on the new minimum wage, while the Jigawa State Government set up a 10-man minimum wage committee on Thursday, August 8.

Similarly, the Borno State Government recently inaugurated a 22-member panel, while the Ondo State government said its committee on the new minimum wage was working hard to ensure its implementation.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, also said the state set up a committee a few months ago to advise the government on the matter.

He said, “Oyo State government set up a committee a few months ago, comprising labour stakeholders and government officials, to advise on the implementation of the minimum wage.”

The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Friday, said the state set up a committee before the Federal Government signed the bill into law.

“We are making provisions for the salary increase in line with the new minimum wage,” he added.

We can’t pay – Gombe, Kogi

However, the Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, said the lean allocation to the state would make it difficult for him to pay the new wage.

Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with stakeholders on the nationwide protest, ‘#EndBadGovernance, Yahaya said, “I cannot pay the N70,000 minimum wage, and I suspect many other states are in the same predicament.”

Similarly, the Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Ashiwaju Ashiru Idris, said no date had been fixed for the implementation of the minimum wage by the state.

Responding to our correspondent’s inquiry, the commissioner said he had no information about when the state would commence payment.

We’ll negotiate – Plateau, Kebbi

Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, however, said the government would make its position known on the matter after negotiating with organised labour.

The Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, also said his administration was ready to have a fruitful discussion with the state union leader on the new minimum wage.

His Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Idris, while speaking with one of our correspondents on the telephone, said, “By the grace of God, our governor will sit with the labour union and come out with modalities to ensure that he puts a smile on the faces of the civil servants.”

During a recent town hall meeting on the nationwide protest, Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, also promised to pay the new minimum wage.

He said, “On our part, I want to assure you that the Sokoto State Government is ready to implement the new National minimum wage as approved by Mr. President. Undoubtedly, our country is facing quite a number of challenges that include economic downturn, inflation, cost of living, as well as insecurity, among other challenges.”

Speaking with our correspondent in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, explained that the state government had rolled out plans to begin the payment.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State governor, Daniel Alabrah, also told our correspondent on Thursday in Yenagoa that Governor Douye Diri had earlier in the year, during the Workers’ Day celebrations, declared that the state would pay any amount agreed upon by the Federal Government and labour.

But he pointed out that the state government may not pay any arrears because the new minimum wage bill was only recently signed into law by the president.

We’ll set up committee soon – Osun, Delta, Benue

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the spokesperson for the Osun State Governor, Rasheed Olawale, said a committee for the implementation of the minimum wage would be set up next week.

He said, “Mr Governor has before now said Osun will pay the minimum wage as he is committed to the welfare of the workers and the people generally. A committee on the implementation of the minimum wage will be set up next week. We are committed to it.”

The Delta State Government also said it would set up a committee for the new minimum wage.

The state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Saturday.

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue also said that his administration would pay the new minimum wage, and block every leakage to ensure its smooth implementation.