The Borno State Government has said an over-bloated local government workforce, about 90,000 employees across 27 councils, is stalling the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage for council staff.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on July 29, 2024, signed the N70,000 minimum wage, six days after the National Assembly.
However, almost one year after the law, local government staff in Borno were still being paid the old minimum wage.
Speaking at a high-level meeting held at the Government House in Maiduguri on Saturday night, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Alhaji Modu Mustapha, said the councils were struggling with the complicated payroll.
Mustapha said the councils collectively employ almost 90,000 staff, a figure he described as high compared to states like Kano, whose population is higher but which maintains a comparatively leaner staff structure of about 30,000 employees across its 44 LGs.
He said, While the intention behind the minimum wage increase is laudable, the reality on the ground in Borno is far more complex.
Our local governments are already overstretched, and the current staff level has become an obstacle towards implementing the N70,000 minimum wage.
To put this into perspective, let us take Maiduguri Metropolitan Council for example, its monthly allocation from the Federal Government sometimes stood below N700m. While this may seem substantial at a glance, the local government needs N778m to pay minimum wage.
He added that the amount would be difficult to pay, given that the councils would also engage in other critical services such as public health, water supply, and security, among others.
Governor Babagana Zulum, while addressing the 27 local government chairmen, had directed them to return to their localities and engage with relevant stakeholders on a workable solution to the salary problem.
All local government chairpersons should go back to their localities, engage with relevant stakeholders and come up with a workable solution to the salary problem at the local government levels.
I want to stress that the payment of N72,000 minimum wage has been fully implemented for state civil servants and all primary school teachers in Borno, Zulum said.
The governor also warned against retrenchment of staff at the local government level, stating that “We are not in support of staff retrenchment at the local government level as I direct you to institute a mechanism that will lead to the implementation of the minimum wage.
He, however, appealed to the council workers to be patient.
We are working closely with the 27 local governments to ensure the implementation of the minimum wage, he promised.
