Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu has announced the recovery of the misappropriated N30,000 Sallah gifts originally meant for local government staff and primary school teachers.
He made this known while addressing various labour unions during the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration held at the Giginya Stadium, Sokoto on Thursday.
Gov. Aliyu assured the workers that the recovered funds would soon be disbursed to the rightful beneficiaries in accordance with established procedures for the Sallah largesse.
It will be recalled that during the 2024 Eid-el-Adha celebrations, Gov. Aliyu approved a goodwill payment of N30,000 for all civil servants in the state to help ease their festive expenses.
However, it was later discovered that the portion meant for the local government and LGEA staff was misappropriated.
Speaking further on the occasion, the Governor highlighted key efforts by his administration to revitalize the state’s civil service and ensure optimal performance.
He listed them to include the prompt payment of salaries, now between the 19th and 20th of every month, compared to delays under the previous administration.
He also cited the full implementation of the new national minimum wage of N70,000 for all civil servants, including local government staff and primary school teachers.
The achievements also included the payment of N30,000 Sallah gifts (Goron Sallah) to all civil servants and the clearance of a N15 billion backlog in gratuities owed retirees since 2016.
In this direction, N500 million is being released monthly and an additional N300 million allocated for the retirees from 2023 to date.
The rest included the restoration of monthly cash allocations to all MDAs, previously suspended by the past administration.
Gov. Aliyu also cited the organisation of capacity-building workshops and training for the civil servants to enhance their skills, professionalism, and efficiency.
Gov. Aliyu also said that his administration has addressed the stagnated promotions and it is prioritizing the overall welfare of civil servants.
Gov. Aliyu also revealed plans to integrate civil servants into the state’s housing policy through an owner-occupier scheme.
He further announced the launch of “Shagon Sauki na Ahmadun Alu”, a new initiative to sell essential commodities to the civil servants at highly subsidized rates.
He urged the workers to remain punctual, committed, and dedicated to their duties for the progress of the state.
In his remarks, the Sokoto State NLC Chairperson, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu, commended the Governor for prioritizing workers’ welfare.
He praised the administration’s prompt salary payments, contrasting it with the previous government where salaries were often delayed for up to 50 days.
The NLC Chairman also lauded the full implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, including for local government and LGEA staff, noting that Gov Aliyu remains the only Governor to take such a comprehensive step.
“We appreciate your seriousness on the issue of minimum wage by appointing me to chair the state verification committee to eliminate ghost workers from the payroll,” he said.
According to him, the committee has already recorded significant progress in identifying and removing ghost workers, thereby saving the direly needed public funds.
He further commended the Governor for restoring cash allocations to MDAs and the Sallah gifts, which he said, have greatly boosted workers’ morale.
He pledged the NLC’s continued support for the Governor’s administration.