The Taraba State Government has slashed the monthly salaries of workers under the “Operation Keep Taraba Clean” programme, popularly known as street sweepers, from N15,000 to N10,000.
The Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Illiya Kefas, confirmed the development to journalists in Jalingo, stating that the cut was necessary to accommodate newly employed civil servants into the state workforce.
According to him, the decision followed a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas to manage the state’s resources in the wake of recent mass recruitments into the state and local government civil services, coupled with limited allocations from the Federation Account.
“Yes, we did not pay the sweepers N15,000 this month; we paid them N10,000 each,” the chairman said.
This is the second time the sweepers’ stipends have been reduced since the programme’s inception. Originally engaged in 2023 with a monthly allowance of N20,000, the workers were forced to accept a reduction to N15,000 in March 2024 or forfeit their jobs. The latest reduction to N10,000 took effect in May.
Defending the salary cut in a subsequent text message to journalists, the agency chairman stated that dissatisfied workers were free to resign.
“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 wrote.
He explained that the agency faces significant financial commitments, including paying local government coordinators, supervisors, monitoring teams, and casual laborers across the state’s 16 local government areas. He also cited high operational costs for sanitation and waste evacuation.
“There is nothing wrong with slashing their salaries. Do journalists ask us how we manage the agency?” he added.
The reduction has sparked concerns among labor advocates and local residents, who argue that the N10,000 monthly allowance is insufficient for low-income workers facing the current high cost of living and inflation across the country.
