This piece of news was disclosed by the Nigeria Labour Congress, Kaduna State Council, during a press briefing where the union confirmed that the process had officially commenced but insisted that full implementation for all workers must follow promptly.

The state NLC Chairman, Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, in a chat with journalists, explained that while the development was a positive step, there were still gaps that needed to be addressed, especially at the local government level and within certain sectors.

“We welcome the commencement of the ₦72,000 minimum wage implementation for civil servants in Kaduna State. The government has started with Grade Levels 1–6, but we want to make it clear that this is only the first phase. We expect the implementation to cover all categories of workers, including teachers, healthcare workers, and employees in tertiary institutions and parastatals,” Suleiman said.

According to Suleiman, the state government tied the extension of the new wage structure to other categories of workers to the ongoing staff and pension verification exercise.

“We have been informed that the adjustments for other workers, including pensioners, will only come after the staff and pension verification exercise. While we understand the need for proper documentation, we want the government to fast-track the process so that no category of worker is left behind,” he added.

He said the NLC had taken note of the government’s commitment to adopt new salary tables for CONMESS (Consolidated Medical Salary Structure) and CONHESS (Consolidated Health Salary Structure) for health workers in line with the new minimum wage.

“This is a welcome development. Health workers deserve better pay given the critical services they render, and we expect the new salary tables to reflect the ₦72,000 minimum wage framework,” he said.

Despite the progress, the labour leader lamented that primary school teachers, local government employees, and primary healthcare workers had not yet benefited from the wage adjustment.

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He stressed that the Congress would hold the government accountable for its promises, adding that workers had endured years of stagnated wages amid rising costs of living.

The NLC leader revealed that engagements between the union and the state government were ongoing to ensure the concerns of affected workers were resolved.

He also urged the government to prioritise fairness and transparency in the process, noting that industrial harmony depended on prompt action.

He called on the government to speed up the verification exercise so that the full wage implementation could be completed before the September 2025 deadline.

Source: Punch