Taraba Sanitation Agency Reduces Street Sweepers’ Salaries to 10,000 Naira

The Taraba State government has lowered the monthly salary of street sweepers working under the Operation Keep Taraba Clean programme from ₦15,000 to ₦10,000. Officials say the change is needed to accommodate newly recruited workers in the state workforce.

Hon. Illiya Kefas, chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, confirmed the decision during an interview with journalists in Jalingo.

He explained that the move follows a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas as the government seeks to manage its finances after expanding the civil service workforce.

“Yes, we did not pay the sweepers ₦15,000 this month; we paid them ₦10,000 each,” Kefas said.

The sweepers were hired in 2023 and originally received ₦20,000 per month. Their pay was cut to ₦15,000 in 2024 after they were reportedly asked to accept a ₦5,000 reduction or risk losing their jobs.

Kefas said the latest cut was driven by the state’s financial commitments and limited allocations from the Federation Account.

He added that workers unhappy with the arrangement could leave. “I have the right to ask my people to work at ₦10,000. Anyone interested will work, and if you are not, you can go your way,” he stated.

The agency also allocates funds for supervisors, coordinators, monitoring teams, and casual workers across the state’s 16 local government areas, as well as for sanitation and waste evacuation activities.

“There is nothing wrong with slashing their salaries. Do you journalists ask us how we manage the agency?” he queried.

The salary reduction is likely to raise concerns among labour advocates and residents, particularly as many low‑income workers face a rising cost of living.