By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna
Kaduna Governor Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i has praised the resilience of citizens during the difficult times and called for sober reflections on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on standards and conditions of work and living.
The Governor, in a statement on the Workers’ Day celebrations on Friday, assured workers that his government remains committed to strengthening the public service by raising the capacity of its employees and improving their reward.
The statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, noted 2020 May Day is ‘’being marked in circumstances that are most unusual for all categories of workers, be they in the public sector, the organised private sector and the vast informal sector.’’
According to the the Governor: “in this moment of emergency, Kaduna State Government acknowledges with gratitude the hard work and dedication of our health workers and medical professionals in managing and containing Covid-19 in the state.’’
“The responsibility to protect the vast majority of residents from the danger of widespread community transmission of Covid-19 has compelled the extension of the Quarantine Orders in Kaduna State.
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‘’But this government has also asked a team of senior officials to begin thinking and planning for a post-lockdown scenario in Kaduna State.
“The government is convinced that there is no tension between public safety and economic vitality. Rather both should be conceived as supportive of each other.
‘’That is why the lockdown has only been partial, to allow the operations of the most essential sectors,’’ he said.
He explained: ‘’Since the imposition of the Quarantine Orders on 26th March 2020, Kaduna State Government has always permitted the food and agriculture value chain to function along with essential manufacturing and logistics businesses.’’
He however promised as soon as epidemiological evidence suggests that infection rates have dropped, the state will permit more economic actors to safely reopen their firms and businesses.
“Before we get to that point, present conditions require that people with an income undertake acts of sacrifice and solidarity to support those whose livelihoods are challenged by the lockdown.
“The government calls for the understanding of everyone, especially workers in the public sector, of the imperative of sacrifice and solidarity in this moment of emergency,’ he added.
He noted: “Just as it demonstrated by swiftly implementing the new national minimum wage and increased the minimum pension received by retirees on the defined benefits scheme, the Kaduna State Government remains committed to strengthening the public service, raising the capacity of its employees and improving their reward.”
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