Governor Abdullahi Sule has again restated his willingness to implement the new minimum wage for civil servants in the state.

Governor Sule made this known when presiding over an expanded emergency state executive council at the Government House on Thursday.

While listing the new minimum wage as one of the key issues to be deliberated by the council, the Govrrnor pointed put that every state is implementing the new minimum wage and that it has become necessary for the council to deliberate on the matter and to agree on what step to take.

“Every state is implementing the minimum wage. We will discuss the minimum wage and agree quickly on what to do. That way we would be able to put that behind us and move on,” he stated.

He added that the council would also discuss the minimum wage and how it affects local government chairmen in the state, particularly with the new regime of local government autonomy taking off in Nasarawa State.

“One of the reasons why we are invited for this meeting is about how the local government will operate. How it is going to work. To see what and what the state government needs to do to support you to make sure that everything is in order,” he said.

Governor Sule explained that the second reason for convening the meeting was for the council to discuss issues relating to the funding of local government, especially after the signing into law of the Nasarawa State Local Government Law 2024.

“Secondly, it is also to discuss about other issues surrounding the local government operation because the biggest of all them is about the funding of the local government. There is a new law that has come into effect three days ago. The funding of the Administrative Area Councils, something that we need to discuss which is the reason why we invited you so that we don’t leave a vacuum, especially now that we have already gotten rid of the joint account committee,” he added.

The Governor said the council meeting, the ninth in the circle, would also deliberate on the urgent need to fill the vacancy created at the Ministry of Agriculture following the election of Hon. Abubakar Umar Danakano as the Chairman of Awe Local Government Area.

He pointed out that there is every need to fill the vacancy particularly with the ongoing harvest of rice at the Jangwa rice farm owned by the state government.

“We can not afford to have that office vacant. It is very important that we have somebody that will go in there and look after the Ministry because of the challenges. As a matter of fact, because there is no Commissioner, automatically we had to recruit the Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, to be the head of sales and marketing of that rice.

“By the way he did a good job. You guys need to commend him. He actually agreed to sell all our rice to Olam and Olam has agreed to buy at a premium higher than the market price right now. Because we are very transparent with what we do, instead of the N680, 000 per ton that they are selling paddy today, he has sold our own at N690, 000 per ton.

“The good news is that it is only for ten days. Whatever we are selling to them in these 10 days is at that price. If the price changes higher than that then in 10 days we change also and go higher than that. That is the market strategy that the Deputy Governor has done,” he stated.

The Governor used the opportunity of the meeting to congratulate the two local government chairmen at the meeting, as well as the councillors from across the 147 electoral wards on their victory during the recent council polls.

Shortly, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Labaran Magaji, his counterpart from the Ministry of Information, Culture Tourism, Hon. Ibrahim Othman, Head of Civil Service, Abigail Waya and Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area and ALGON Chairman, Hon. Safiyanu Isah Andaha took time to brief journalists on the outcome of the meeting.

Barrister Magaji said the council deliberated over the concern and apprehension following the enforcement of the Nasarawa State Local Government Law 2024, with certain bodies such as Local Government Service Commission, the Ministry for Local Government, Local Government Pension, Office of the Auditor-General of the Local Government and many other affiliate MDAs that have one link or the other with the operation of the local government.

“The law was critically analyzed and indeed, the council came to a conclusion that all status be maintained. Every of these agencies mentioned and others contemplated will remain in operation. But one thing that is sacrosanct is that the state government has abolished the joint account committee, granting financial autonomy to the local governments,” he said.

The Attorney-General said the state government will await the release of operational guidelines from a committee set by the Federal Government headed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment granting full autonomy to the local government.

He revealed that the council also deliberated on the new Administrative Area Councils that would replace the development areas as provided under the new local government law.

“The council reviewed that very particular portion and came to the conclusion that appointments into that offices will be delayed to enable the local government chairmen have a proper take off. Then the Governor will consider deserving people that can manage such Area Administrative Councils and present them to the state House of assembly as provided by the law for confirmation and subsequent appointment. Their renumeration was also contemplated and at the relevant time it will be made public,” he said.

On her part, the Head of Service, Abigail, said the council approved the constitution of a new minimum wage committee to be headed by the Deputy Governor, with the committee to hold its inaugural meeting tomorrow being Friday, November 8th, 2024.

Also addressing the press, ALGON Chairman and Akwanga Local Government Area Chairman, Hon. Safiyanu Isah Andaha, said a lot of issues having to do with the local government were deliberated upon.

“As you are aware, there is a new existing law brought into force three days ago by His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule. Development Areas now have new names and will have new leadership. The issue of local government autonomy was deliberated with a view to identifying challenges ahead of the intended full financial autonomy for the local government,” he said.

The Nasarawa State ALGON Chairman used the opportunity of the event to express gratitude to Governor Sule for his advice, guidance to ensure a smooth take off of local government autonomy in the state.

He announced that the council approved for the setting up a committee for the new minimum wage to be inaugurated tomorrow.