By Aminu Garko
Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State says his administration has so far settled about N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of gratuities and related liabilities owed to retirees in the state.
Yusuf disclosed this on Thursday in his address at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, Kano.
He said the government had also sustained regular payment of monthly pensions while reviewing the minimum monthly pension from N5,000 to N20,000.
The governor said his administration had continued to prioritise the welfare of workers and pensioners through timely salary payments, improved remuneration and measures aimed at strengthening the public service.
According to him, Kano State has maintained the practice of paying workers’ salaries by the 25th of every month, while implementing the N71,000 minimum wage for civil servants.
Yusuf said the government was also sponsoring public servants for professional training, including programmes at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, ASCON, to improve their administrative and leadership capacity.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building a professional and motivated workforce while ensuring that the sacrifices of serving workers and retirees were recognised and treated with dignity.