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, quoted 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 in fulfilmentt 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.
