By Samaila Bayo, Birnin kebbi
The Accord Party's governorship candidate in kebbi State, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Bunza has promised to pay N500,000 minimum wage to civil servants in the state if elected as governor.
While addressing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, the gubernatorial candidate said the take-home pay of the workers does not match the reality on the ground in the state. "Let me categorically make my point clear, if I am elected Governor of Kebbi State, I will ensure that the least paid worker goes home with N500,000", he said.
He said his aim is to improve workers' welfare because they are the engine room of the state's development and they must be treated with dignity.
Bunza added that the state has the money to pay workers a living wage, not a minimum wage. "Workers have become slaves to those in positions of authority. I want to change the narrative if elected as governor of kebbi State", he said.
He said the civil servants are being subjected to trauma and untold hardship due to unpopular government policies, adding that such policies were gradually driving workers into hopelessness.
Bunza said the was not contesting for the governorship of Kebbi State for personal aggrandizement but to liberate people of the state from poverty he claimed they are subjected to.
The Accord Party's candidate also identified security as one of his topmost priorities, insisting that the present governments at all levels were not doing enough to end banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state and the country at large.
He observed that the security of the country was tied to those in the corridors of power and their families, adding that there has never been a day a governor, senator, House of Representatives member, minister or a member of their families was kidnapped. "I promise to tackle the issue of insecurity head-on to give the people of Kebbi a sense of hope and peace", he said.
He assured that his administration would give agriculture in the state serious attention and as a farmer, he would give the farmers all the necessary assistance to boost their food production.
He said "My mission is to make Kebbi an agricultural hub of this nation. I will give free fertilisers, chemicals and other farming inputs to individual small holder farmers and large-scale farmers to encourage them to produce more food".
On health, he said the sector would be given adequate consideration to completely prevent people from going abroad for medical tourism. "All our hospitals will be transformed and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to provide effective and efficient services to every citizen irrespective of status.
He added that he would ensure that enough medicine is supplied to every hospital in both urban and rural areas of the state and patients will get free treatment and free medicine.
