Gombe suspends payment of N30,000 minimum wage over economic downturn

The government of Gombe has announced the suspension of payment of the new minimum wage of N30,000 to workers in the state.

The state said the development was due to the current global economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The state equally announced its resolution to slash salaries of political office holders.

The state Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Jatau, who also serves as the Chairman, Committee on Minimum Wage, made this announcement during a press briefing on Saturday.

He told newsmen in his office, that: “The Ministry of Finance is to review the 2020 budget in order to reflect the reduction in the price of oil in the international market and the subsequent adoption of $30/ barrel benchmark by the Federal Government.

“In the government’s efforts to adjust to the economic realities on the ground, we have suspended the recently approved minimum wage until the economy improves.”

He went further to say that the state government was making effort to strengthen the state Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to enable it perform better with a view to reducing the heavy reliance of the state on federal allocations.

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He said that the state would review salaries of both political office holders and permanent secretaries.

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