By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

Governor Uba Sani has commenced the implementation of the National Minimum Wage in Kaduna State.

This is according to a statement issued by the Governor?s Chief Press Secretary, Malam Ibraheem Musa, on Sunday, December 1, 2014, in which he decried claims by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that Kaduna is among state not yet paying the new minimum wage of N70,000.

The statement described NLC?s claim as ?grossly unfair because the least paid worker received N72,000 as gross salary in the month of November.

?So it is a misrepresentation for Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to claim that the state has defaulted.?

Continuing, the statement said: ?His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, has complied with the spirit and letter of the National Minimum Wage Law, by paying the lowest paid civil servant N72,000 last month.

?NLC is harping on the issue of consequential adjustment but the labour body should realise that there is difference between salary increment and Minimum Wage,? the statement explained.

According to the statement, Kaduna State receives an average of N8 billion from Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) every month.

?It also generates around N4bn monthly. That translates to N12 billion revenue monthly.

?However, the monthly wage bill has jumped from N5.4 billion to N6.3 billion with the implementation of the Minimum Wage last month. And there is also the deduction of N4 billion for loan payment every month.

?So, the wage bill and the deduction have gulped over N10 million out of the total N12 billion revenue. That leaves only N2 billion for rural transformation, overhauling the health sector, revamping education and providing dividends of democracy to the people of Kaduna State,? the statement said.

The statement explained that it will be unfair for Kaduna State Government to spend almost all its revenue on consequential adjustments, after paying the mandatory Minimum Wage.

?There are over 10 million people who are also entitled to the accrued revenue of Kaduna State. There are 84,827 civil servants in the state. So, it is unreasonable for Government to spend over 90% of its revenue on just about 1% of the population.?

It pleaded with NLC to exercise patience over the consequential adjustments, pending when Government?s revenue improves, adding that Governor Uba Sani is Labour-friendly.

The statement noted that Kaduna State Government has already bought buses for civil servants which will convey them to and from work free of charge, as part of the palliatives to cushion the prevailing economic challenges.