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Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has directed chairpersons of all 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to ensure swift and effective implementation of the new ₦70,000 minimum wage.
At a high-level meeting over the weekend at the Government House in Maiduguri, attended by leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Zulum instructed the chairpersons to return to their LGAs and develop practical solutions for enforcing the wage policy.
“All local government chairpersons must go back to their councils, consult relevant stakeholders, and propose realistic strategies to address the wage issue,” Zulum said.
He confirmed that the state had already implemented the ₦72,000 minimum wage for civil servants and all primary school teachers.
Zulum also warned against downsizing at the local government level, stressing, “We do not support staff retrenchment. I am directing you to establish a mechanism that will enable the implementation of the new wage.”
He urged local government employees to remain patient, assuring them of the government’s commitment to resolving the matter in collaboration with all 27 LGAs.
Overstaffing Stalling Wage Rollout—Official
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Modu Alhaji Mustapha, said excessive staffing at the local level has stalled the implementation of the new minimum wage.
He revealed that Borno’s 27 local government areas employ around 90,000 staff, a figure he described as unusually high, particularly when compared to Kano State, which has about 30,000 local government workers across 44 local government areas despite having a population three times larger.
“While the wage increase is well-intentioned, the practical realities in Borno are much more complex,” Mustapha said.
Citing the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) as an example, he noted that it sometimes receives less than ₦700 million in monthly federal allocations—yet requires ₦778 million monthly to meet the new wage bill.
“When you consider that the MMC must also finance critical services like healthcare, water supply, and security, the strain becomes clear,” he said.
NLC Commends Governor’s Action on Teachers’ Wages
The Nigeria Labour Congress praised Governor Zulum for fully implementing the ₦72,000 minimum wage for primary school teachers.
Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, Chairman of the NLC Borno State Chapter, commended the governor during the weekend meeting.
“Your Excellency, whenever we attend national meetings, the NLC is pleased to hear that primary school teachers in Borno are receiving ₦72,000,” he said.
Inuwa added that he received applause at a recent NLC gathering after announcing the wage implementation in Borno, with the governor earning strong commendation from the national body.
