Taraba: Sweepers' pay review was internal, not Gov. Kefas' directive - Chairman

 

By Godwin Agia, Jalingo  

The Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Hon. Illiya Kefas, has said the recent review of stipends for street sweepers under Operation Keep Taraba Clean was an internal administrative decision and not a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas.  

Hon. Kefas made the clarification on Tuesday in Jalingo while reacting to media reports linking the governor to a cut in the sweepers’ pay.  

He explained that the agency had to balance its financial obligations due to the large number of casual workers engaged across the 16 local government areas of the state.  

Giving a breakdown of the agency’s monthly commitments, the chairman said, "We have 16 Local Government Coordinators, including Ngada and Yantu. We pay some N200,000, while the least among the monitoring team earns N100,000.  

"The review of stipends was an internal arrangement to sustain the activities of the agency. It was not a directive from His Excellency, Governor Agbu Kefas.

"We also have 10 supervisors, and the least we pay them is N50,000 per person. There are over 100 casual staff across the 16 LGAs. We spend more than N5 million monthly on feeding for the boys who work daily," he said.  

Hon. Kefas added that team leaders handling roadside cleaning operations receive daily allowances, noting that huge resources are committed to sanitation and waste evacuation across the state.  

He maintained that the adjustment became necessary to prevent shutting down operations or laying off workers.  

"Our decision was purely to keep the agency running and ensure that people remain engaged. Tarabans can attest to the visible improvement in Jalingo today because of these measures," he added.  

He urged the public to disregard reports attributing the stipend review to Governor Kefas, stressing that the governor remains committed to the welfare of workers in the state.  

Correspondent reports that street sweepers under the agency were engaged in 2023 with a monthly stipend of N20,000, which was reviewed to N15,000 in March 2024 are later N14,500 in 2026.