Professor Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia, the Governorship Candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kwara State, has committed to increasing the monthly minimum wage for civil servants from N70,000 to N120,000 should he be elected as governor in the 2027 election.
According to Ajia, the proposed salary increment would necessitate an additional N4 billion in monthly expenditure. He firmly asserted that Kwara State possesses the financial capacity to meet this commitment, provided that public resources are managed with integrity and existing financial leakages are effectively curbed.
Speaking on Wednesday during the News Keg Engagement Series at the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin, the United States-based academic criticised the state's failure to improve workers’ welfare. He attributed this shortcoming to what he described as "the selfish disposition of those in government."
“If elected as governor, I will move our civil servants from N70,000 monthly salary to N120,000. We can pay the money. Our problem is just that those in government have not thought of it and have not reduced their craving for personal enrichment,” he declared.
The candidate further explained that this proposed increase would form a central component of his comprehensive Workers and Working Families Compact. This initiative would also address critical issues such as employee promotions, working conditions, and retirement benefits.
He detailed that the implementation of this plan would be underpinned by rigorous payroll verification, meticulous costing of salary grades, extensive consultations with organised labour unions, and the establishment of a credible and transparent funding timetable.
Official figures from the 2026 approved budget indicate that Kwara State's direct monthly salaries and wages amount to approximately N4.55 billion. The total personnel costs, which encompass allowances and pensions, currently stand at N6.01 billion.
Addressing Pensioners' Welfare
Regarding the welfare of pensioners, Ajia expressed strong disapproval of the persistent delays in the payment of gratuities, particularly outstanding entitlements that date back to 2014. He emphasised that gratuity represents an earned right for former civil servants, not a discretionary favour bestowed by the government.
If elected, he pledged to conduct a thorough verification of all outstanding obligations, meticulously differentiate between inherited arrears and new liabilities, and publish fully funded payment schedules. A key commitment would be to prioritise the complete clearance of all outstanding gratuities within his initial four-year tenure. Additionally, he proposed the establishment of recreational centres specifically for senior citizens in each of the state's 16 local government areas.
Promoting Transparency and Good Governance
The NDC candidate also vowed to restore the significance of elected councillors by providing functional offices across all 193 wards of the state. He committed to enhancing transparency in governance by publicly disclosing government revenue, expenditure, and contract details. This initiative would also ensure the full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act.
He noted that a user-friendly and transparent government website, complemented by a public information dashboard, would ensure that all relevant government information is readily accessible to residents and journalists, thereby eliminating the need for repeated formal requests. His broader development agenda would also focus on rectifying the infrastructural imbalance prevalent between Kwara's northern and southern senatorial districts, as well as addressing the overall developmental disparities across the state.