Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas Condemned for Slashing Street Sweepers’ Pay from N15,000 to N10,000 While Expanding Civil Service

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has reduced the monthly allowance of street sweepers under the Operation Keep Taraba Clean programme from N15,000 to N10,000, a decision that has been widely condemned as callous and exploitative of the state’s most vulnerable workers.

The Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Hon. Illiya Kefas, confirmed the reduction during a briefing with journalists in Jalingo, saying the decision followed a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas to manage state spending after fresh recruitment into the civil service at both state and local government levels. “Yes, we did not pay the sweepers N15,000 this month; we paid them N10,000 each,” the agency chairman said.

The street sweepers were first employed in 2023 with a monthly allowance of N20,000. In March 2024, their pay was reduced to N15,000 after workers were reportedly given the option of accepting a N5,000 cut or losing their jobs. The latest reduction, which took effect in May 2026, marks the third cut to their earnings since the programme began, meaning the sweepers now earn exactly half of what they started with three years ago.

Illiya Kefas defended the decision, claiming the state faced increased financial responsibilities following the employment of additional civil servants, while allocations from the Federation Account remained limited. But critics have pointed out the glaring injustice of making the poorest workers bear the cost of the governor’s recruitment drive, while newly employed civil servants enjoy better pay and benefits.

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In a text message to journalists, the agency chairman worsened the situation by dismissing any concern for the affected workers. “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 stated. He also questioned the media’s scrutiny, asking, “Do you journalists ask us how we manage the agency?”

The reduction has sparked widespread outrage, with labour advocates and residents condemning the government for what they describe as a heartless prioritisation of civil service expansion over the welfare of the state’s most marginalised employees. The street sweepers, many of whom are women and youths struggling to survive in an economy already battered by inflation and high food prices, are now expected to carry on with the same demanding work for half their original pay.

Civil society groups have called on Governor Agbu Kefas to reverse the decision, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent where the burden of governance is shifted onto those who can least afford it. Many have questioned how a government that claims to care about the poor can justify slashing the wages of street sweepers while expanding the civil service, a move that appears to prioritise political patronage over human dignity.

The decision also raises broader questions about governance in Taraba State, where citizens have watched their governor appoint numerous aides and expand government bureaucracy while workers cleaning the streets are forced to accept repeated pay cuts under threat of dismissal. This is not governance. This is exploitation dressed in the language of fiscal responsibility.

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