The Taraba State Government has reduced the monthly allowance of street sweepers under its sanitation programme from N15,000 to N10,000, citing financial pressure following recent recruitment into the state workforce.
The affected workers, engaged under the Operation Keep Taraba Clean initiative, had earlier accepted a pay cut from N20,000 to N15,000 in 2024 after being given the option to either accept the reduction or lose their jobs.
Confirming the latest development in Jalingo, Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Illiya Kefas, said the decision was based on a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas to accommodate newly employed civil servants.
“Yes, we did not pay the sweepers N15,000 this month; we paid them N10,000 each,” he said.
Kefas explained that the state government was grappling with limited financial resources, worsened by increased wage obligations arising from fresh employment at both state and local government levels.
He also attributed the decision to dwindling allocations from the Federation Account, stressing the need to balance competing financial commitments.
The agency chairman maintained that the arrangement was not compulsory, adding that any worker dissatisfied with the new pay structure was free to opt out.
“I have the right to ask my people to work at N10,000. Anyone interested will work, and if you are not, you can go your way,” he said.
The official further disclosed that the agency incurs significant operational costs, including payments to supervisors, coordinators and monitoring teams across the 16 local government areas, as well as expenses related to waste evacuation and environmental sanitation.
He argued that team leaders supervising roadside cleaning operations also receive daily allowances, insisting that substantial resources are being committed to maintaining cleanliness in Jalingo and other parts of the state.
Findings, however, indicate that the latest reduction represents a steady decline in the earnings of the sweepers, with concerns that the allowance could drop further to about N7,500 if additional cuts are implemented based on previous negotiations.
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