Why States may be unable to pay new minimum wage -Commissioner

Citizens listening with rapt attention

By YUSUF GOJE

Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission Kaduna state, Mohammed Sani Dattijo has queried the rationale behind the proposed upward review of the minimum wage, which he said compels even states that are not viable to play ball.

Making the assertion at the recently concluded Citizens' Consultation forum on Medium Term Expenditure Framework 2019-2021 held in Kaduna, Dattijo said:"The minimum wage should be moved from the exclusive to the concurrent list, even though Kaduna state is healthier than most states, there are states that cannot afford the increase in minimum wage. If this is not done, the increase in minimum wage will only be on paper but difficult to implement by many states, resulting in labor disputes". He stressed that the exclusiveness of this piece of legislation which empowers only the Federal government to determine minimum wage in the constitution is a burden to many states of the federation.

Meanwhile, the event, the first of its kind in Kaduna state, attracted participants from civil societies and media organizations across the state, and was organized in fulfilment of the commitment of government to the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

While outlining the processes in generating the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), the commissioner remarked that "the biggest lie is that the budget is a technical document", which in essence is that it is not as difficult to understand as some people think.

He said hopefully, "the draft 2019 budget will be presented to the Kaduna State House of Assembly either by June or July before the electioneering campaigns starts. Kaduna state is probably the only State that took the Paris Club Refund to its State House of Assembly for appropriation".

A participant, from the Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED), commended the government for adhering to the 2016 Fiscal Responsibility Law, which mandates the government to engage the citizens during the formulation of the MTEF.

Comments

Kaduna COVID-19 Lockdown, People Living with Disabilities and Inclusion

Chairman JONAPWD, Abdulaziz Suleiman , (Right) and a colleague (Middle) in a chat with CALPED's Yusuf Goje By SMITH WAYA Before the index case of Corona virus (Covid-19) in Nigeria, the Kaduna state government held a public hearing on the proposed Kaduna state social protection policy, in line with the administration's slogan of putting the people first. The Joint National Associations of Person with Disability(JONAPWD), Kaduna chapter, as the umbrella body for people living disabilities in the State, were invited to present a position paper on their expectations of the new policy. The Disability Community took advantage of the town-hall meeting to appeal to the state government to work assiduously towards reducing poverty and hunger in their household. The Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, assured them of the state government's commitment in ensuring that no one is left behind especially people living with disabilities. Incidently, as the State governm...

Reflecting on Kaduna State's Commitment to Open Budget

By YUSUF GOJE T he present administration of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, since coming into office in 2015, has initiated a number of reforms. These reforms are aimed at strengthening the State’s public finance management system and improving public service delivery to the residents. The reforms are rooted in key laws such as the Fiscal Responsibility Law, Public Procurement Law, Tax Codification & Consolidation Law, Public Finances Law all in 2016, and Planning & Budget Commission Law in 2017. They provide the mechanism for achieving the developmental and socio-economic aspiration in the State Development Plan (SDP, 2016-2020) through the Sectors Implementation Plan (SIP, 2016-2019) and annual budgets. The high point of these reform initiatives came in 2017 when the State government signed into the Open Government Partnership (OGP). In fact, making it the first subnational in Nigeria to do so and was later elevated as a member of OGP global in 2018. This was follo...

Jema'a Council boss seeks support of civil society on OGP

I n his bid to institutionalize the ongoing local government reforms in Kaduna state especially the principles of Open Government Partnership (OGP), the Chairman of Jema'a Local Government Council has solicited support of civil society in promoting transparency, accountability and improve service delivery that would impact positively on the lives of the people in his local government. Council Chairman, Hon Danjuma Peter Averik, who made this known when he paid a courtesy visit to officials of Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn(PERL/DFID) in their Kaduna office, said his visit became necessary to solicit for partnership against the backdrop of his passionate desire to engender transparency and accountability in his administration. "I am here to seek for collaboration that can help in institutionalizing key local government reforms especially the OGP and Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (LFTAS) program towards improvin...

Suspected outbreak of Bird Flu in Kachia

When the going was good... By Dangwa Danjuma A strange disease suspected to be bird flu has been reported in Ankwa, a district in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state, killing chickens in their hundreds on daily basis in poultries that dot the area. Our correspondent who visited the area during the week reports that chickens are dying daily in droves. Thomas Tambaya, a poultry farmer in Ankwa said of the strange disease: "I have lost count of the chickens I have lost to this strange disease. My household is struggling to sustain the surviving birds now", Tambaya remarked, maintaining that his community can no more make those marginal profits from domestic poultry products as before in the area. Another farmer in the area, told Cubinks that he had to focus more on his layers in far away Gumel, as the locally grown chickens he keeps in Pa chiki are being lost to the strange disease. To aggravate matters in the area af...

Outcry over a Woman's Inhumanity

DANGWA DANJUMA F ollowing intense investigation and reports by BREKETE FAMILY a flagship radio programme on Human Rights Radio and Television station focusing on human rights abuse, on how Deborah Babaji Longs, a personal assistant to Mrs Mariam Ahmodu Ali, spent three days in a dog’s cage without food or water, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested the wife of former People’s Democratic Party National Chairman and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Col. Ahmodu Ali (rtd). The story of Deborah Babaji Longs, who worked as Mariam’s personal assistant, featured on Human Rights Radio and Television aka ‘Berekete Family’ on Saturday March 26, 2022 following a report of her alleged imprisonment by Mariam Ahmodu Ali. Narrating her ordeal, Deborah told Brekete Family under oath that Col. Ahmodou Ali, his two daughters and a son-inlaw witnessed the life threatening humiliation and blows meted out to her by Mrs Ali in the middle of their living room in their Abu...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog