Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has announced the recovery of the misappropriated N30,000 Sallah gifts that were originally allocated to local government staff and primary school teachers.
He disclosed while addressing labour unions during the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration held on Thursday at the Giginya Stadium, Sokoto.
Governor Aliyu assured workers that the recovered funds would soon be disbursed to the rightful beneficiaries, following established procedures for the distribution of the Sallah largesse.
It would be recalled that during the 2024 Eid-el-Adha celebrations, the governor approved a N30,000 goodwill payment for all civil servants in the state to cushion festive expenses. However, it was later discovered that the allocation meant for local government and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) staff had been diverted.
Speaking further, the governor highlighted his administration’s key interventions aimed at revitalising the state’s civil service and enhancing staff welfare and performance. These include the prompt payment of salaries, now consistently made between the 19th and 20th of every month, compared to prolonged delays under the previous administration.
He also confirmed the full implementation of the new national minimum wage of N70,000 for all civil servants, including local government workers and primary school teachers.
Additional achievements listed by the governor include the payment of the N30,000 Sallah bonus (“Goron Sallah”) to all civil servants, and the clearance of a N15 billion backlog in gratuities owed to retirees since 2016. To sustain this, the state is releasing N500 million monthly, with an extra N300 million earmarked for retirees from 2023 to date.
Governor Aliyu also restored monthly cash allocations to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which had been suspended by the previous administration. Furthermore, he said his government is investing in regular capacity-building workshops and training to boost civil servants’ professionalism and efficiency.
Addressing the long-standing issue of stagnated promotions, the governor noted that his administration is prioritising career progression and the overall welfare of civil servants.
He also announced plans to integrate workers into the state’s housing policy through an owner-occupier scheme, and unveiled a new initiative, “Shagon Sauki na Ahmadun Alu”, which will provide essential commodities to civil servants at highly subsidised rates.
The governor urged workers to remain punctual, committed, and dedicated to duty, stressing that their contributions are crucial to the progress of the state.
In his remarks, the Sokoto State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdullahi Aliyu, commended the governor for prioritising workers’ welfare. He praised the administration’s consistency in paying salaries, contrasting it with the previous government’s delays of up to 50 days.
He also lauded the full implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage across all levels of the civil service, describing Governor Aliyu as the only state governor to have taken such a bold step.
“We appreciate your seriousness on the minimum wage issue, especially by appointing me to chair the state verification committee to eliminate ghost workers from the payroll,” he said.
According to him, the committee has made significant progress in identifying and removing ghost workers, thereby saving much-needed public funds.
Aliyu further commended the governor for reinstating MDA allocations and restoring the Sallah gifts, which he said had greatly boosted worker morale.
He pledged the continued support of the NLC for the administration.
