By Umar Faruk
Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria – 3 June, 2026 (Series News Online)- Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu, said he will personally set up a high-level committee to examine complaints over primary school teachers’ pay and the application of the new minimum wage. The committee will have 30 days to submit its findings.
Governor Idris made the pronouncement on Tuesday while addressing the gathering during his speech at the Presidential Lodge Hall, Birnin Kebbi. The event was a town-hall engagement with educators, executives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, education administrators, council chairmen, Education Secretaries, and Directors of Finance from Local Government Areas and LGEAs.
The Governor said the move became necessary after several teachers raised issues over how the new wage and subsequent salary adjustments were being implemented across the 21 local councils. He pledged that his government would treat every legitimate grievance with seriousness.
“I am a teacher by training and I once led labour. I know what bothers teachers, and I will not look away from matters that touch their welfare,” Governor Idris said. “We will constitute a committee led by a competent professional to review all issues and deliver its report within 30 days.”
Governor Idris reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to teachers’ welfare and to repositioning basic education. He argued that Kebbi has committed more resources to the sector in the last three years than any other state in Northern Nigeria.
To promote openness, the Governor ordered all local government chairmen to make public the financial allocations and salary obligations of their councils before his administration began, and to compare them with current figures. He said the exercise would establish whether teachers’ salaries had actually increased under the new wage regime.
The Governor further instructed Education Secretaries and Directors of Finance in the LGEAs to cross-check and confirm the accuracy of the financial records presented by their council chairmen.
“Clear facts and verifiable records are the only way to clear doubts around minimum wage implementation and salary structures for our primary school teachers,” he stated. He assured the teachers that their complaints would be addressed fairly, and stressed that education and workers’ welfare remain top priorities of his government.
Governor Idris appealed to all stakeholders to remain calm and cooperate while the committee carries out its mandate.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Professor Suleiman Khalid, praised the Governor’s record on education. He highlighted the construction and rehabilitation of schools, training of teachers, and improved welfare packages as proof of the administration’s commitment.
“This meeting is historic because it shows the Governor’s readiness to listen directly to teachers and respond to their needs,” Professor Khalid said.
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Yakubu Bala Tafida, noted that Kebbi was one of the first states to adopt the new minimum wage. He explained that the salary template in use today was developed after wide consultations between government and labour leaders.
“The salary structure we are operating now was agreed upon after detailed consultations with government and labour representatives,” Alhaji Tafida said.
Teachers’ representatives who spoke at the event acknowledged the Governor’s interventions in infrastructure and welfare. While thanking him for the progress made so far, they requested a review of the pay gap between primary and secondary school teachers.
The teachers’ representatives added that closing the salary disparity would boost morale among primary school teachers and improve teaching and learning outcomes statewide.
Governor Idris wrapped up the meeting by restating his administration’s determination to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in all policies affecting teachers’ welfare.
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Education