Kano State Government on Monday said it was unable to implement the consolidated salary in March due to a drop in its federal allocation.
This is contained in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Muhammed Garba in Kano.
“Given the present financial situation, it was difficult to implement the consolidated salary for the month of March.
“It is, although, a temporary measure,’’ the statement read in part.
The commissioner explained that the drop in the federal allocation for March made it difficult for the government to implement the new salary package.
The state government, according to Garba, received N12.4 billion from the federation account, out of which the state collected N6.1 billion.
The 44 local governments collected N6.3 billion.
“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,’’ Garba stated.
He pointed out that at a meeting between the government and the labour union in May 2020, there was an understanding that government would pay workers’ salaries based on a percentage of the total disbursement received.
The commissioner, however, recalled that Kano was the first among few states to agree to the implementation of the minimum wage without any hesitation.
He noted that given the situation, the organised labour ought to have reasoned with the government because embarking on strike, won’t solve the problem.
The state government assured workers that they would continue to receive the new package as soon as the situation improved.
