The Kebbi State Government will pay workers the N70,000 transport allowance approved by the Federal Government to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs, Governor Nasir Idris has said.

Idris disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview with journalists in Abuja, saying he had set up a committee under the Head of Service to work out the implementation.

The governor, a former President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, said his administration remained committed to improving workers’ welfare amid the declining purchasing power of their earnings.

“I have already set up a committee under the Head of Service, and they are working. I have said, time without number, that if the Federal Government increases workers’ salaries, Kebbi State will be among the first states to implement it,” he said.

Idris commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the transport allowance, saying the intervention was necessary because prevailing economic conditions had reduced workers’ earnings.

He said the federal government approved the allowance ahead of negotiations on a new minimum wage because the purchasing power of the existing N70,000 national minimum wage had been eroded.

The Kebbi State Government had earlier approved a N75,000 minimum wage for workers, alongside an additional N17,650 for teachers.

On other welfare measures, Idris said his administration had embarked on housing projects involving 155 houses and another 250 units, some of which are expected to be commissioned by December.

He also said the government had regularised the employment of more than 1,700 casual workers inherited from the previous administration and recruited 2,000 teachers, as well as health professionals, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

The governor maintained that the state did not owe workers salaries, pensions, gratuities, or other entitlements, attributing this to prudent resource management and improved internally generated revenue.

He said the government had increased revenue collection by blocking leakages, adding that its financial responsibilities had also grown with rising federal allocations.

On infrastructure, Idris said his administration was working with the Federal Government on major road projects, noting that completed roads had reduced travel time and improved movement across the state.

He also defended President Tinubu’s economic policies, urging Nigerians to endure current difficulties in anticipation of long-term benefits. (The Nation)