The meeting was called in direct response to the recently approved salary scale by Governor Dauda Lawal, which was intended to correct a prolonged error in the salary payments for state workers. However, upon review, the NLC identified significant anomalies that disproportionately affected senior staff. The primary focus of the emergency session was to compile and finalize the congress's observations and corrections to this new scale before a crucial submission deadline.
A major point of contention, which was thoroughly discussed and corrected in the meeting's resolutions, was the structure of the Basic Salary. The approved scale inexplicably set the starting basic salary for officers on levels 01 to 06 at ₦61,000. In a stark and inequitable contrast, the starting basic for officers on level 07 and above was pegged at a mere ₦37,000. This inversion, where junior officers were placed on a higher basic salary floor than their senior counterparts, was flagged as a fundamental error. The NLC executives have formally noted and corrected this discrepancy in their report.
Furthermore, the issue of the Domestic Servant Allowance was addressed. This allowance, a benefit meant for the most senior officers, was found to have been calculated based on the old national minimum wage of ₦30,000. The NLC corrected this to align with the current national minimum wage of ₦70,000, ensuring that senior staff receive the full benefit entitled to them. The meeting also resolved several other worker-related issues that arose from the newly approved salary table.
With these corrections consolidated, the NLC has been mandated to submit its comprehensive observations and the corrected salary table to the State Head of Service on Monday, the 11th of May, 2026. This submission represents the formal channel through which the labour body seeks rectification of the identified flaws in the governor's approved scale.
In a statement, the NLC expressed profound appreciation for the solidarity, resilience, and mature approach exhibited by civil servants across Zamfara State, particularly the senior staff who were most affected by the anomalies. The congress urged all workers in the state to remain patient and continue to pray for the resolution of all lingering issues facing Zamfara State. The swift action from the emergency meeting underscores the NLC's commitment to protecting workers' interests and ensuring equitable and just compensation for all levels of the state's workforce.
