NO GOVERNOR WANTS DIRECT CONTROL OF SOLID MINERALS, SAYS ENGINEER SULE

1. His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State;

2. The Right Honourable Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly;

3. The Honourable Chief Judge of Nasarawa State;

4. Principal Officers and Members of the State House of Assembly;

5. Members of the State Executive and Security Council;

6. The Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State;

7. The Head of Civil Service;

8. Special Advisers;

9. The National Vice Chairman, North-Central Geo-Political Zone, All Progressives Congress (APC);

10. The State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC);

11. Permanent Secretaries;

12. His Royal Highness, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman, Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs;

13. Chairmen and Chief Executives of Commissions, Boards and Parastatals;

14. Chairmen of Local Government Council and Overseers of Development Areas present;

15. Your Royal Highnesses, Emirs and Chiefs;

16. Gentlemen of the Press;

17. Ladies and gentlemen.

It is with gratitude to God the Almighty and a sense of fulfilment that we are gathered here today towards the enhancement

of the socio-economic variables of our State and, indeed, the welfare of our workers. It is my pleasure, therefore, to

address you on this occasion of the inauguration of two Executive Committees. They are:
i. Committee for the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage in Nasarawa State; and

ii. Committee on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

2. My dear compatriots, as you may recall, on the 29th May, 2019, I made a solemn commitment to revitalise the socio-

economic fortunes of the State, as well as improve the living conditions of our people of which the welfare of public

servants is paramount.

3. This is in line with our determination to improve the welfare of public servants as they are the cornerstone for the

implementation of Government policies and programmes. It is also intended to put machinery in place to reinvigorate the

revenue generating capacity of Government to finance development projects.

4. As you may also recall, Nasarawa State is always in the front burner on the issue of the implementation of the National

minimum wage in the country. The 2011 case was a reference point. I need to point out, therefore, that since the passage

of the new National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act in April this year, Government has continued to make consultations with

major stakeholders, including the Organised Labour on how to come up with a sustainable strategy for the implementation of

the new National Minimum Wage for workers from Grade Levels 01-06 and Consequential Adjustment for workers of Grade Levels

07-16 therein for the benefit of all.

5. It is in this connection that we constituted a bipartite Committee to study the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act,

make necessary consultations and recommend to Government a workable template for implementation in Nasarawa State.

6. The Committee, while carrying out its assignment, should be guided by the revenue accruals to the State vis-à-vis its

ability to pay the Minimum Wage. In this wise, this Administration is ready to open its book of account to serve as a

guide to the Committee towards making appropriate recommendations to Government.

7. Let me, however, state that Government is not unaware of the outstanding promotions, arrears and proper placements of

the civil servants in the State. In this regard a committee has been constituted to advise Government on how best to

implement the promotions. The committee will soon be inaugurated in our commitment towards improving the welfare of our

workers for optimum productivity.

8. In carrying out this all-important assignment, the committee on the implementation of the new minimum wage is to be

guided by the following terms of reference:

a. To obtain and study the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2009 and the Consequential Adjustments in the Salaries

of Employees in the Federal Public Service Arising Therefrom as a guide for the assignment;

b. To obtain and study copies of agreements reached between the Federal Government and the Organized Labour in line with

the consequential adjustment/increase in the salary structures of the following professions;
i. The Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS);

ii. The Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS);
iii. The Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS);

iv. The Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS);

v. The Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary (CONPCASS);

vi. The Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary Structure II (CONUASS II); and

vii. The Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure II (CONTISS II).

c. To develop a template for the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage Salary Structure in Nasarawa State;

d. To liaise with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (if necessary) for technical assistance on the

implementation of the new minimum wage for the State; and

e. To recommend any other matter(s) incidental to the foregoing Terms of Reference.
The Committee has three (3) weeks to complete its assignment and submit Report to Government.

9. Similarly, we are also here to witness the inauguration of the Committee on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in our

determination to improve the revenue profile of the State. This is to provide us with sumptuous alternative sources of

Revenue Generation as a vista for improved expenditure on projects, programmes and policies geared towards the overall

development of our dear State. This is because the only way to galvanize the State’s economy is by strengthening all

revenue accruing sources of the State.

10. Accordingly, the Committee is to be guided by the following Terms of Reference:
i. To identify all sources of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State within the confines of the law and workout

mechanisms of harnessing these revenues;

ii. To develop a database of all Internally Generated Revenue sources in the State;

iii. To device and monitor the collection of the Internally Generated Revenue from all sources and ensure their remittance

to the Treasury Single Account TSA) of the State;

iv. To identify and block leakages in the collection and remittance of Internally Generated Revenues;

v. To examine and recommend (where necessary) the review of Laws on collection of Internally Generated Revenue (fees,

fines, licenses, etc);

vi. To identify and collate data of all Licensed Miners operating in the State;

vii. To identify and liaise with all MDAs executing Lease Agreements between the State Governments and affected investors

with a view to preparing a database in that regard for effective coordination;

viii. To advise Government on the need to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle on solid minerals developments in the State;

ix. To liaise with the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Abuja to establish synergy in the

collection and collation of State Data on Enrollments (i.e. schools, health facilities, among others) to raise the Revenue

Indices of the Sate; and

x. To explore any other area(s) that may improve the Internally Generated Revenue base and performance of the State.

11. My dear members of the committees, let me reiterate that your appointment to carry out these onerous tasks is in

recognition of your wealth of experience, commitment, hard work and resilience towards the service of our dear State. I

charge you, therefore, to live above board and work assiduously with a view to coming up with workable recommendations

that will assist Government in its policy direction, in this regard.

 

12. Accordingly, and in line with the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS), the constitution of these Committees

was necessitated in view of our avowal to enhance the socio-economic deliverables of the State. This is with a twin goal

of harnessing our economic potentials vis-à-vis human resources as formidable frontiers that can elevate the State to

enviable heights.

13. My dear workers of Nasarawa State, let me point out that Government decision in setting up these committees should not

be misunderstood to mean any intention to infringe on the rights and privileges of our workers in particular, nor in any

way cause hardship to the citizens of the State. I, therefore, appeal for your understanding, my fellow compatriots and

urge all and sundry to give the committees necessary cooperation to enable them carry out these assignments successfully.

14. Let me at this juncture congratulate you all for these well-deserved appointments. I, therefore, urge you to live

above board in the discharge of your onerous responsibilities for the benefit of our dear State.

15. On this note, it is my pleasure to inaugurate the committees for the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage in

Nasarawa State and that of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

16. Thank you and may God bless us all.