EL-RUFAI: The First Governor to Effect Minimum Wage Payment and Increases Pensioners Benefit Awesomely

Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is a 59-year-old Nigerian Politician. A former Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, Head of privations agency in Nigeria. He was the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja between July 2003 and May 2007. He is a member of the All Progressives Congress(APC).

In 2015, after winning the gubernatorial election with 1,117,635 million votes in all, he was announced as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State.

On assumption of office usually preceded by a swearing-in ceremony, he gave an inaugural address announcing that “he and his deputy were taking a pay cut and donating 50 percent of their salaries and allowances pending an improvement in the state’s fiscal situation.” and a host of other talk-and-do promises which was implemented evidently.

Governor El-Rufai has since not withheld his reformational agenda to the benefit of both the government as well as the masses(people). This, in itself simply defines what democracy entails. In his second year, he launched School Feeding Programmes and abolished payment/collection of fees or levies in public primary schools and senior secondary schools. In 2019, He was re-elected governor of the state who has not ceased to use the opportunity to help masses greatly.

It was recorded that just after he became the first governor to implement the payment of the minimum wage to the state workers, He has increased the pensioner’s take-home benefit from N3000 to a whooping N30,000 without a second thought. It is worthy of note to say the governor made the promise to raise pension to N30,000 during a live interview he recently had at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna stating that although the new minimum pensions will increase the wage bill of Kaduna state by N200 million, the state government believes that it is important to let pensioners receive decent pensions.

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners has written an appreciation as well as a commendation letter signed by their Chairman showing their excitement over the said increase and expressing their hearty gratitude for having the aged people and senior members of the state at heart. The spokesman to the governor further said: “Governor El-Rufai promised that the proposed increase will be tabled before the State Executive Council meeting and that the payment of the new pensions will commence once the approval is secured.”