* Says Nasarawa is most secure state for agriculture, funding
* Meets Shettima forward of lithium manufacturing facility inauguration on Friday
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State on Wednesday revealed that governors aren’t against a brand new minimal wage for public employees, dismissing claims that governors aren’t cooperating with the federal government on the centre on the problem.
There had been nice issues in some quarters lately over the flexibility of many states to pay the brand new minimal wage to be proposed by the Tripartite Committee on Minimal Wage.
Talking to newsmen on the problem after assembly with Vice-President Kashim Shettima in his workplace on the State Home, Abuja, the governor additionally mentioned he mentioned the safety state of affairs in his state with the vice-president.
Sule, who mentioned he was unaware of any state the place the federal government was unable to pay the outdated minimal wage fee, acknowledged that Nasarawa has been paying the N30,000 minimal wage since 2019 and has additionally carried out promotions, gratuities and different advantages for employees.
Whereas explaining that governors haven’t disagreed on issues round plans to overview employees’ pays, he acknowledged {that a} committee established by the Federal Authorities is engaged on the minimal wage, and governors are ready for the end result.
In accordance with him, “We’re involved concerning the welfare of the employees. The truth is, we’re paying some particular allowances referred to as hazard allowance, even to our medical employees, as I’m speaking to you proper now. So I don’t suppose governors have any drawback with the fee of minimal wage. I don’t converse for the governors. Our chairman, the Governor of Kwara, truly speaks for the governors and he’ll try this on the proper time to you.
“However it’s incorrect, truly, to say that governors aren’t or aren’t cooperating. What the governors preserve saying is that there’s a committee established by the Federal Authorities to work on the minimal wage.
“We’re ready for the end result of that committee and that committee isn’t just Federal Authorities, it’s trying on the state authorities and arranged personal sector. So by the point they supply, we don’t wish to bounce the gun and that’s why we proceed to do this.
“You could discover one or two states make sure statements, which is okay completely in line. Minimal is minimal, after they say minimal wage, it doesn’t imply that anyone can’t be larger than that, dependent by yourself money circulate and dependent by yourself place. So, I believe that’s the place.”
Commenting on the safety state of affairs within the state, Sule assured Nigerians that Nasarawa State is protected for funding and agriculture, opposite to issues about safety, citing the instance of a lithium manufacturing facility constructed by international traders, which took a number of years to finish and is now operational.
Explaining that Nasarawa is the most secure state within the nation for agriculture and different actions, he attributed the success to improved safety within the space, due to the development of main roads and the institution of a navy super-camp.
To assist his declare, the governor highlighted the state’s achievements in agriculture, together with being primary in sesame farming, quantity two in yam and cassava manufacturing, and quantity 5 in rice manufacturing nationwide.
He inspired skeptics to confirm these information for themselves.
He mentioned: “Coming again to the problem of safety that you’ve talked about, it took us some time to have the ability to stabilize the realm. At first, they’d a really unhealthy street resulting in the areas the place a number of the bandits, kidnappers and so forth had been settling down.
“We now constructed a serious street within the space and the Federal Authorities additionally constructed the main street that comes all the way in which from Benue into Nasarawa State, which many of the transporters from the japanese a part of the nation are literally utilizing in the mean time.
“We additionally established what you name navy super-camp within the space so there’s presence of the navy within the space. So all these kidnappers, bandits and others have all left, we don’t have any so far as that space is anxious.
“Nasarawa State is at all times thought of as one of many most secure states to do agriculture and others issues. Now, coming again to the agriculture that you’ve talked about, for the reason that previous two to 3 years, Nasarawa State has been main in so many areas of agriculture.
“In the present day, I’m completely satisfied to let you know that we’re primary in sesame farming in the entire federation, no person does greater than that. We’re quantity two a yam manufacturing all through the nation. We’re quantity two in cassava all through the nation and we’re quantity 5 in rice manufacturing.
“So if persons are not going to farms, we’ll not be attaining these sorts of numbers. These are the realities on floor, these are issues you can go and discover out by yourself. So so far as we’re involved, we’re not saying that there are not any kidnappings in Nasarawa, occasionally you’ll discover it right here and there, however in Nasarawa State there’s additionally oil drilling happening. With the oil drilling, I don’t suppose any of you has ever heard something about kidnapping and issues like that going down”.
On the aim of his go to to the vice-president, Sule disclosed that he met with Shettima to debate the upcoming inauguration of a lithium manufacturing facility sited within the state on Friday, expressing optimism that President Bola Tinubu can be current on the occasion.
His phrases: “I got here to see him for 2 main points: we’ve been doing loads within the space of agriculture, which he has taken upon himself to make sure that issues are going effectively, so he’s been monitoring that on his personal. So occasionally, we go to and we talk about on the areas of agriculture, which is of nice significance to him.
“I got here additionally to debate concerning the inauguration of the lithium manufacturing facility that we’re having on Friday. As you already know that this Friday we’re going to inaugurate a 4,000 metric tons per day lithium processing manufacturing facility, which he has at all times been concerned about realizing the end result of what’s taking place.
“So we got here to debate that and a part of the preparations. The truth is, we’re hoping Mr President himself can be coming to inaugurate that manufacturing facility.”
