Bauchi Govt. implements Salary Grade Level 09 for Newly Recruited Engineers, Nurses
By Idris Ayinde
The Bauchi State Executive Council has approved the placement of newly recruited engineers and nurses on Salary Grade Level 09 in recognition of the professional demands, academic sacrifices and extended period required to obtain their qualifications.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bauchi Branch, Engr. Shehu Wakili, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi on Thursday.
According to him, the approval is aimed at improving the welfare of the two professional cadres, recognising their contributions and encouraging them to remain in the state’s public service.
The decision, Wakili said, was reached at the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.
The Council noted that engineering and nursing professions require rigorous academic training, financial commitment and years of professional preparation, which informed the decision to accord newly recruited personnel in the two cadres Grade Level 09 at entry point.
Engr. Wakili described the approval as a landmark and a morale booster for young professionals in the state.
“This is a welcome development. It shows that the Governor understands the value of engineers and nurses.
“For years, our young engineers were being employed on Grade Level 08 despite spending five to six years in university and undergoing rigorous professional training. This approval corrects that injustice,” Wakili said.
He added that the decision would help to check brain drain, as many young engineers and nurses were leaving the state service for federal jobs and private sector where their qualifications are better recognised.
Wakili commended Governor Bala Mohammed for his commitment to workers’ welfare and for listening to professional bodies in the state, and called on the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture through dedication, discipline and quality service delivery to the people of Bauchi State.
The Chairman also called on other states in the North-East to emulate the Bauchi State Government by placing engineers and nurses on Grade Level 09.
Wakili expressed the readiness of the NSE, Bauchi branch to partner with the state government by offering its professional expertise and technical support to the benefit of the people of the state.
