Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has suspended his Special Adviser on Salary and Pensions, Alhaji Bashir Ado, for issuing a premature statement regarding an alleged approval of a new minimum wage of N70,000 for workers in the state.
The suspension was announced in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Malam Bala Ibrahim, in Dutse on Saturday. According to the SSG, the statement, which circulated widely in the media, falsely claimed that the governor had approved the new wage before the completion of a committee’s assessment on the matter.
Ibrahim expressed concern over the embarrassment caused by the statement, noting that the committee, chaired by the Head of the State Civil Service, is still conducting its review and has not yet submitted its report.
As a result, Governor Namadi approved the immediate suspension of Ado and established a separate committee to investigate the matter. This new committee, chaired by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Bello Abdulkadir, is tasked with investigating the source, content, and motive behind the premature announcement.
The SSG noted that the committee has two weeks to submit its findings and includes Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports, and Culture, Dr. Abdullahi Muhammad, Commissioner for Health, and Muhammad Yahaya, Permanent Secretary for Establishment and Service Matters.
The incident underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring proper communication processes are followed and accurate information is disseminated to the public.
