The Governorship Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kwara State, Prof. Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia, has pledged to raise the monthly minimum wage for state civil servants from N70,000 to N120,000 if elected governor in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Wednesday in Ilorin during the News Keg Engagement Series organised by the Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the United States-based academic stated that the proposed upward review would require an additional N4 billion monthly, insisting that the state can fund the increase by plugging financial leakages and curbing wasteful public expenditure.

"If elected as governor, I will move our civil servants from N70,000 monthly salary to N120,000. We can pay the money. Our problem is just that those in government have not thought of it and have not reduced their craving for personal enrichment," Ajia said.

The candidate explained that the wage increment forms a core component of his Workers and Working Families Compact, which encompasses prompt promotions, improved working conditions, and structured retirement packages, supported by thorough payroll verification and consultations with organised labour.

For context, Kwara State's 2026 approved budget places monthly direct salaries and wages at approximately N4.55 billion, while total personnel expenses inclusive of allowances and pensions stand at N6.01 billion.

Addressing pensioners' welfare, Ajia described the backlog of unpaid gratuities dating back to 2014 as unacceptable, vowing to audit inherited arrears and clear all outstanding entitlements within his first four-year tenure, alongside establishing recreational centres for senior citizens across all 16 local government areas.

He further promised to strengthen grassroots governance by providing functional offices for elected councillors across the state's 193 wards, enforce the Freedom of Information Act via a public financial dashboard, and address infrastructural imbalances across Kwara North, Kwara South, and Kwara Central senatorial districts.