By Aaior K. Comfort

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has approved the formation of a committee to determine the implementation process for the newly enacted national minimum wage. Announced on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, the committee will be chaired by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Babagana Malumbe, with the Head of Service, Mallam Fannami, serving as co-chair.

The committee includes twelve other government representatives, among them the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hauwa Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary for Finance & Economic Development, Alhaji Basha Kachalla Talba, and the Accountant-General, Baba Usman. Dr. Sadiq Moh’d Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary for Establishment, will act as the committee’s secretary.

In addition to government officials, the committee will include members from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). These representatives include NLC Chairman Yusuf Inuwa, TUC Chairman Babayo Hamma, and JNC Chairman Umar Abdullahi. The State Controller of Labour, Federal Ministry of Labour, Abubakar Ibrahim, will serve as an observer.

The committee is tasked with analyzing the current salary adjustments at the federal level to determine how they can be applied in Borno State, considering the state’s unique circumstances. This includes assessing whether the federal adjustments can be adopted fully or partially and establishing a sustainable salary structure for state civil servants.

Governor Zulum congratulated the committee members and urged them to begin work immediately to ensure that the state’s civil servants receive fair and realistic wages. The move follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent signing of the new Minimum Wage Act, which set the minimum wage at ₦70,000 after negotiations with organized labor