The Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has disclosed that with the lean allocation to the state, it would be difficult to meet the N70,000 minimum wage.
The minimum wage was recently assented to by President Bola Tinubu following an agreement with joint labour unions.
Yahaya, who chairs the Northern Governors Forum, spoke at a meeting with labour leaders, civil society organisations, and traders associations at the Government House in Gombe, ahead of the planned nationwide protest.
He said Gombe State’s limited allocation from the federation account makes it impossible to implement the increased wage package. This is despite the fact that the federal allocation to Gombe and all other states has increased since President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidies.
The governor also stated that Gombe State has not yet received the promised 20 trucks of rice from the federal government, which were intended to alleviate the suffering of its citizens.
Yahaya also said the state received only N2 billion, contrary to the N5 billion palliative allegedly given to states by the federal government.
The governor attributed last year’s fuel subsidy removal, which exacerbated Nigerians’ hardship, to a decision initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari and announced by President Bola Tinubu
He said President Tinubu had no choice but to announce the subsidy removal, as the National Assembly was not inaugurated at the time of his swearing-in and there was no provision for petrol subsidy in the 2023 budget beyond June.
Governor Yahaya urged residents of the state to shun the nationwide protests, which, he said, could lead to violence and destruction.
