By Our Correspondent
The Kano State Government has constituted a 20-man Technical Committee to review and consider the implementation of the newly approved remuneration package for academic staff of state-owned tertiary institutions.
The committee was inaugurated by the Head of Civil Service, Kano State, Hajiya Bilkisu Shehu Maimota, who said the initiative was approved by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf following requests from academic staff of state-owned tertiary institutions for the implementation of the reviewed remuneration package approved by the Federal Government.
Maimota said the committee members were selected based on competence, professional standing, merit and experience in handling complex policy and administrative assignments.
She charged them to approach the task with diligence, objectivity and a strong sense of responsibility, urging them to produce a comprehensive report that would enable the government to take an informed decision in line with existing guidelines.
The committee is mandated to collate and review requests, memoranda and supporting documents submitted by affected institutions, as well as examine relevant Federal Government approvals, circulars and policies guiding the reviewed remuneration package.
It will also determine the applicability of the package to various categories of academic staff, identify disparities in grade levels and job classifications, and compare existing state remuneration structures with the newly approved Federal Government package.
Another key responsibility is to assess the financial implications of implementation, including recurrent personnel costs and the immediate and medium-term effects on the state’s wage bill and budget.
The committee will further examine areas requiring harmonisation or clarification and recommend viable implementation options, including effective dates, phasing, funding mechanisms and transitional arrangements.
It is also expected to recommend administrative, financial, legislative and policy measures that could facilitate implementation should the government approve the package.
The committee is chaired by the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Ali Haruna Makoda. Other members include the Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Hon. Musa Sulaiman Shanono; Commissioner for Finance, Hon. Ismail Aliyu Dambazawa; Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters, Dr Baffa Sani Gaya; Chairman, State Payroll Standing Committee, Auwalu Umar Sanda; Accountant-General of the State, Jamila Magaji Abdullahi; and Rector, Kano State Polytechnic, Dr Abubakar Umar Farouk.
Other members are the Provosts of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, Kumbotso; Aminu Kano College of Islamic Studies; Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta; Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso College of Advanced and Remedial Studies, Tudun Wada; and Yusuf Maitama Sule College of Education and Advanced Studies, Ghari.
A representative of the Joint Consultative Forum (JCF) is also a member.
The Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Abba Adamu Danguguwa, serves as Member/Secretary, while Safiyya Ali Suleiman, Director, Administration and General Services, is Assistant Secretary I.
Sulaiman Adamu Hodi, Director, Salary and Wages, serves as Assistant Secretary II; Musa Namadi Karefa, Deputy Chairman, State Payroll Standing Committee, as Assistant Secretary III; Ismail Gwadabe Ali, Deputy Secretary, Office of the Head of Civil Service, as Co-Secretary; and Kabiru Habibu Kyauta, Principal Assistant Secretary, as Co-Secretary.
Danguguwa assured the committee of the Office of the Head of Civil Service’s support, saying the office would expedite necessary actions and provide the required assistance to ensure the successful completion of the assignment.
The committee has three weeks from the date of its inauguration to complete its work and submit a comprehensive report to the Office of the Head of Civil Service for onward transmission to the governor.
