Gov. Ahned Aliyu of Sokoto state has approved the commencement of the payment of N70,000 new minimum wage to civil servants on Monday.
With the approval, civil servants in Sokoto State will enjoy the new minimum wage with their January salaries.
A statement signed by Mr. Abubakar Bawa, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aliyu, quited the governor as approving that the payment will cover the state civil servants and local government staff across the state.
The payment of the new national minimum wage, which is in compliance with the new national minimum wage policy as approved by the federal government.
It is also infulfilmentt of an earlier promise made by the governor to that effect.
Gov. Aliyu, therefore, urged civil servants in the state to reciprocate the good gesture of government by being alive to their responsibilities.
“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,” he said.
The governor also vowed to sustain the prompt payment of salaries between the 19th and the 22nd day of every month, saying that his administration will remain workers-friendly.
It would be recalled that prior to the coming of the present administration in the state, workers were not sure of when to get their salaries, as salaries were paid after 50 days as against the usual 25-30 days.
With the coming of the Ahmed Aliyu-led administration, workers in the state now receive their salaries between the 19th and 22nd of every month, while the backlog of unpaid gratuity of retirees is being defrayed by the present administration.
The state government had set aside N500 million monthly to pay the backlog of unpaid gratuity, while an additional N300 million has also been set aside monthly to pay those that retired from 2023 to date.
The decision, according to government, was to ensure that by the time the present administration completes its tenure, no civil servant would be owed any gratuity by the Sokoto state government.
“Today, I approved the payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 for our public servants, which will take effect immediately, starting tomorrow, Monday.
“We have made provisions for this new salary structure to cover both state civil servants and their colleagues at the Local Government Area Councils throughout the state.
“This approval aligns with the new national minimum wage set by the Federal Government and fulfills the promise I made as the Governor of this state.
“In light of this decision, I encourage civil servants to reciprocate this thoughtful gesture by diligently fulfilling their responsibilities.
“Our administration remains committed to being worker-friendly through the prompt and consistent payment of salaries, which will be processed from the 19th to the 22nd of every month.
“Additionally, I want to reiterate that our administration has allocated N500 million to address the backlog of unpaid gratuities. We will also provide an additional N300 million monthly to pay those who have retired from 2023 to the present,” Gov. Aliyu said.
