Amid hardship, Gov Kefas reduces street sweepers’ salaries from N15,000 to N10,000

The Taraba State Government has reduced the monthly stipends of workers under the “Operation Keep Taraba Clean” environmental programme, popularly known as street sweepers, from N15,000 to N10,000, citing financial adjustments linked to fresh recruitment into the state civil service.

The Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Hon. Illiya Kefas, confirmed the development while speaking with journalists in Jalingo.

According to him, the decision followed a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas aimed at managing limited state resources after the recent employment of new civil servants across ministries and local government councils.

“Yes, we did not pay the sweepers N15,000 this month; we paid them N10,000 each,” he said.

The street sweepers were initially engaged in 2023 on a monthly allowance of N20,000, but their earnings have gradually declined over time due to repeated downward adjustments.

In March 2024, they were reportedly asked to accept a reduction of N5,000 or risk losing their jobs, bringing their monthly pay to N15,000. Reports now indicate that the latest payment further reduces their take-home to N10,000.

Hon. Kefas explained that the decision was necessary to balance competing financial obligations, particularly following large-scale recruitment into the state workforce.

He also cited reduced allocations from the Federation Account as another factor influencing the pay adjustment.

In a further message to journalists, he defended the decision, stating that dissatisfied workers were free to leave the programme.

“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.

He added that the sanitation agency also bears significant costs in managing supervisors, coordinators, and monitoring teams across all 16 local government areas of the state.

The latest reduction has sparked concerns over the welfare of low-income workers, especially amid rising living costs, with observers warning that the policy could further deepen hardship among casual labourers.

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