Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu has approved the payment of a new minimum wage of N70,000 to civil officials beginning today. With the approval, civil servants in Sokoto State will get the new minimum wage with their January salary.
According to a statement signed by Mr Abubakar Bawa, Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, the governor approved the payment for all state civil officials and local government staff across the state. The payment of the new national minimum wage complies with the federal government’s new national minimum wage policy and fulfils a previous pledge made by the governor.
Gov. Aliyu advised civil servants in the state to repay the government’s goodwill by being mindful of their obligations. “With the commencement of the payment of this new national minimum wage, we expect a renewed commitment, hard work, punctuality and above all, seriousness from our civil servants,” according to him.
The governor also promised to continue paying salaries on time between the 19th and 22nd of each month, claiming that his administration will be worker-friendly. Recall that prior to the arrival of the current administration in the state, workers were unsure when they would receive their pay cheques, as they were paid after 50 days rather than the typical 25-30.
With the arrival of the current government, public employees now receive their pay cheques between the 19th and 22nd of each month, while the administration is addressing the backlog of unpaid retiree gratuities.
The state government had put aside N500 million each month to cover the backlog of unpaid gratuities, with an extra N300 million set aside monthly to pay those who retired from 2023 to the present. According to the government, the move is to assure that by the end of the current administration, no civil servant will be due a gratuity by the Sokoto State government.
