Katsina State government has approved a new minimum wage of N70,000. The decision was finalized after nine hours of intense negotiations between state government officials and labour union representatives.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abdullahi Faskari, confirmed the outcome early Saturday morning, noting the challenging discussions that preceded the agreement.
“This landmark decision followed nine hours of intense deliberations between representatives of the state government and labour unions,” Faskari stated during a press briefing.
According to Faskari, the negotiations centered on balancing the financial constraints of the government with the demands of the workforce. The aim was to implement a wage policy that would be both fair to workers and sustainable for the government.
He commended Governor Dikko Umar Radda’s administration for its commitment to addressing the needs of civil servants and maintaining positive relations with labour unions.
“The decision is a testament to the Governor Dikko Umar Radda administration’s dedication to prioritizing the needs of civil servants and fostering harmonious labour relations,” he said.
The road to the agreement was not smooth. On Friday afternoon, discussions reached a deadlock when labour unions walked out over a disagreement on the wage implementation date.
While the government proposed starting payments in January 2025, the unions demanded implementation by December 2024.
After reconvening later that evening, both sides made concessions, and the talks extended into the early hours of Saturday before a resolution was achieved.
