From Ibrahim Kaulahi, Gusau
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal said his administration is looking for humanly possible ways towards achieving implementation of sustainable minimum wage for the workers in the state.
Governor Lawal made assurance Wednesday while addressing the teeming civil servants during May Day celebrations held at JB secretariat hall in Gusau Zamfara State capital.
The Governor who insisted his administration’s policies has thrown weight on rescuing the state economy from the total collapse been suffered during the previous governments in succession, said salary increment could not be achieved without sanitizing the entire system of the civil service.
“When I came on board, I found that the state coffers were suffering high rate of corruption and other financial malpractices by unpatriotic civil servants who in one way or the other had connived with some politicians alike mismanaging the public funds.
“I discovered that, a single civil servant bears various pen names and was unlawfully collecting the salaries of ten people, while others were enlisted in the government’s payroll including names of their families who did not even know what the civil service means.
“I have thinking of how best my administration will implement minimum wage without skipping months without payments, but such a development can not be witnessed unless two integral issues are achieved, that included prevention of leakages of government coffers and total stoppage of the threatening rate of corruption.
Earlier, speaking separately, the state Chairmen of the NLC and TUC respectively, Comrade Sani Halliru and Comrade Sa’idu Mudi, commended Governor Lawal’s administration for changing the lives of the retired workers and their families by settling the backlog of pensions and gratuities.
The unions further pleaded the Governor to address other disturbing issues surrounding delay of promotions for workers, non implementation of wage and wage awards across boards and non constitutional increment of pension after every five years.