North-West ADC Candidates Promise N110,000 Minimum Wage, Security Overhaul

Governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress in the seven North-West states have pledged to implement a minimum wage of N110,000 and establish 21 specialist hospitals if elected in the 2027 elections.

The candidates made the commitments on Wednesday while signing the North-West ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027–2031 at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

The compact outlines a joint regional agenda focused on security, development and shared prosperity across Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.

The candidates pledged to declare emergencies on insecurity and education, deploy drones and technology-driven surveillance to combat banditry, and establish a North-West Regional Security Coordination Centre.

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is the ADC governorship candidate in Kebbi, said the candidates had adopted the compact as a regional covenant to address the challenges confronting the region.

The candidates claimed that more than 16,000 lives had been lost to insecurity between June 2023 and August 2026, while more than 1,583 kidnapping incidents had occurred since January 2023.

They also said insecurity had displaced thousands of households and left more than 533,000 hectares of farmland in Zamfara and Katsina abandoned.

The candidates accused APC-led administrations in the region of failing to translate public revenues into adequate infrastructure, healthcare, education, security and improved living conditions.

They pledged to coordinate security operations across state boundaries, share intelligence and establish technology-driven surveillance and rapid-response networks across the region’s 21 senatorial districts.

On education, they promised to declare an emergency, improve access to basic education, integrate Almajiri and Tsangaya children into formal schools and support girls’ education.

They also pledged to establish one specialist hospital in each senatorial district, strengthen primary healthcare, expand access to community health insurance and improve maternal healthcare services.

The candidates further promised to develop protected agricultural corridors, rehabilitate irrigation systems, establish a regional grain reserve and promote agro-processing to strengthen food security.

They also endorsed ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s promise to restore the fuel subsidy, describing the current cost-of-living situation as a major burden on households in the region.