Minimum wage: Northern governors ready to pay Tinubu's approved N70,000, full list surfaces

• Some northern governors have expressed readiness to pay the N70,000 new minimum wage
• Kano state governor, Abba Yusuf; his Gombe state counterpart, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; and six other northern governors have shown commitment to implementing the new N70,000 minimum wage
• Legit.ng reports that the new minimum wage is viewed as a key step in addressing the rising cost of living and improving the welfare of Nigerian civil servants

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering governance in Nigeria.

Kano, Kano state - In a landmark move, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law a new national minimum wage of N70,000 on Monday, July 29, 2024, from the initial N30,000.

The signing follows a series of meetings which resulted in the failure of the organised labour, private sectors and the federal government representatives who made up the tripartite committee to reach an agreement on the new minimum wage.

The new minimum wage adjustment is intended to improve workers' living standards amidst rising inflation and economic challenges. Photo credit: @Aminugwarzo
Source: Twitter

Despite this, its implementation at the state level has sparked mixed reactions from governors across the country.

While some state governors have expressed their readiness to pay the new minimum wage, others have raised concerns about their inability to pay the new minimum wage due to limited financial resources.

In this article, Legit.ng takes a look at some northern governors who have declared their readiness to implement the new N70,000 minimum wage.

1) Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa state)

In August, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state approved a new monthly minimum wage of N70,000 for state and local government workers.

In the same month, the governor commenced the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the federal government.

2) Hyacinth Alia (Benue state)

In July, Benue governor, Hyacinth Alia, stated that his administration is committed to paying the N70,000 minimum wage to workers in the state.

Alia said his administration is ready and would be able to pay the N70,000 minimum wage because he has blocked all the leakages in the state.

Benue is in Nigeria's northcentral region.

3) Dikko Radda (Katsina state)

In September, the Katsina state governor, Dikko Radda, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to implementing the new N70,000 minimum wage recently announced by the federal government.

He made this known during the public engagement, 2025 citizens' budget participation process and the launching of the community development programme.

4) Nasiru Idris (Kebbi state)

Governor Nasiru Idris of Kebbi state said in August that his administration is ready to pay Kebbi workers the N70,000 minimum wage.

The governor promised the workers that he would immediately commence implementation of the new minimum wage as soon as the template to do so is delivered to the state government.

5) Usman Ododo (Kogi state)

In October, Kogi state governor, Usman Ododo, approved N72,500 minimum wage for civil servants in Kogi state, with immediate effect.

The governor of the prominent northcentral state said the new N72,500 minimum wage would enable workers in his state to cope with the current economic situation in Nigeria.

6) Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe state)

In a recent development, the Governor of Gombe state, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, expressed his willingness to join the list of state governors prepared to pay the new minimum wage.

Yahaya announced that workers in the state will receive the payment of N70,000 minimum wage beginning in October.

7) Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano state)

Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano state, on Tuesday, October 1, assured civil servants of his government's readiness to promptly review the recommendations of the committee on the new minimum wage once presented.

Governor Yusuf said his administration would not waste time going through the committee's report when finally received. This, the governor said, is necessary to facilitate the urgent implementation of the new national minimum wage.

8) Babagana Zulum (Borno state)

Borno state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Inuwa Yusuf, revealed in an interview that Governor Babagana Zulum has expressed his willingness to pay the new N70,000 wage.

Yusuf stated that the governor is committed to adopting the new minimum wage for civil servants in the state.

Minimum wage: Jigawa gov quashes purported approval

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that civil servants in Jigawa state were thrown into confusion after the governor of the state, Umar Namadi, denied approving the N70,000 minimum wage.

The purported approval was said to have been announced on Thursday, October 10, by Ado Kazaure, Namadi's senior special adviser on salary and pension.

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Source: Legit.ng