Minimum wage: Why there is difference of 1.8bn in Personnel Cost
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Gombe state commissioner for finance, Muhammad Magaji says the government is committed to resuming the suspended 30,000 minimum wage of employees of the state civil service from January.
Magaji disclosed this on Thursday, during a briefing on the N120.3billion 2021 approved budget, at the conference hall of Ministry of Finance.
According to Magaji, there are differences in personnel cost in 2020 was at N21.3 billion while in 2021 budget personnel cost is N23 billion, with a difference of N1.8billion.
He said, “The reason we have the increase is because the minimum wage was considered in 2021 budget that was the reason the personnel cost has gone up.
“We hope that the governor will sign the warrant today being 31st of December and that the Accountant General will oblige by 1st of January to implement the warrants and of course these warrants have captured the statements of the new minimum wage. As soon as the warrants are approved we will resume the payment of the minimum wage.
“As at today less than 10 percent goes to the cost of governance unlike before where over 20 percent was earmarked for governance.”