The Zamfara State Government successfully averted a planned indefinite strike by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage.
The agreement, finalized late Monday evening, follows extensive negotiations between the state government and NLC officials.
The MoU also addressed other labour-related concerns, including enhanced welfare packages for state workers, ensuring a comprehensive agreement that reflects the union’s demands.
Comrade Sani Haliru, the NLC Chairman in Zamfara, confirmed the suspension of the planned industrial action, calling the agreement a significant win for worker’s rights.
He commended Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration for prioritizing dialogue and workers’ welfare.
“If you can see all our circulars, it states that a state where there is no implementation or an agreement, commitment signed, but we all witnessed what happened here this night, even the state Governor is inside his office waiting for the outcome of this meeting,” Haliru said.
He had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of progress, but with the recent breakthrough, he acknowledged the government’s efforts and confirmed that the NLC would refer the agreement to its National Headquarters.
The state government was represented at the meeting by Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada, who emphasized the administration’s commitment to implementing the new wage increase.
“For me, leading from the state government side, I would say it’s a very fruitful meeting.
It has taken us many days, but by special grace of God, today we are able to meet at a certain point of ₦70,000 minimum wage.
The state government has accepted, and we have signed the MoU. No victor, no vanquish,” Nakwada stated.
Nakwada further clarified that the implementation of the new minimum wage would begin in March 2025.
He explained that the delay is due to a verification committee currently working to align the state’s nominal roll with the payroll, a process that is more than 50% complete.
“The implementation date is going to be in March 2025 because we have a committee working on the verification of the entire state workforce, aligning the nominal role with the payroll,” Nakwada said.
He also expressed confidence that the NLC would not pursue any further strike action, as the unions had given assurances during the meeting.
Zamfara was among the twelve states identified by the NLC’s national body for potential industrial action due to the delay in implementing the newly approved national minimum wage.
