Niger to Increase Workforce by 3,000 in 2023

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State government will increase its workforce by 3000 in 2023 and has set aside N300 million as additional salaries monthly in the fiscal year.

The state government had placed embargo on employment for over 16 years due to paucity of funds.

The Commissioner for Planning, Mr. Zakari Abubakar, disclosed this in Minna at the weekend during the breakdown of the 2023 budget.

Abubakar said that the gesture is in line with government’s commitment to provide jobs for the teeming youths of the state.

He said that relevant government agencies in charge of recruitment portals are already fine tuning the employment processes.

“Government is determined to solve the problem of unemployment in the state and this is the reason for making enough financial provision for the exercise in our next year budget,” he said.

Zakari disclosed that the infrastructure sub sector got the highest allocation of over N53.4 billion for the completion of ongoing projects, adding that the sum of N15.8 billion is allocated to the health sector out of which N6.4 billion is for the renovation of eight general hospitals.

He said N28 billion was allocated for the ongoing Minna Bida Road project.

Another N5.5 billion is allocated for the Primary Health Care and its activities while N200 million has been voted for the provision of equipment at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialised Hospital, Minna.

Abubakar further said that the 2023 budget would be different because of the inputs of the grassroots that were carried along before its compilation.

Tagged budget of Consolidation and Transition, the 2023 budget size is N238 billion.