By Uzair Adam
Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has suspended his Special Adviser on Salary and Pensions, Alhaji Bashir Ado, following a premature announcement regarding a proposed N70,000 minimum wage.
The suspension was confirmed in a statement issued by Bala Ibrahim, the Secretary to the State Government, in Dutse on Saturday.
The statement revealed that a circulating media report claiming the governor had approved the new minimum wage was both inaccurate and premature.
“This is an embarrassing situation, as the committee tasked with advising on the appropriate wage, led by the Head of the State Civil Service, has yet to finalize its report,” Ibrahim explained.
Due to the incident, the governor has approved Ado’s immediate suspension pending the outcome of an investigation.
A committee, chaired by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Bello Abdulkadir, has been set up to probe the source and intent behind the statement.
The committee, which includes Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Health Dr Abdullahi Muhammad, and Muhammad Hahaha, Permanent Secretary of Establishment and Service Matters, is expected to submit its report within two weeks.