Sokoto State Government has commenced the payment of salaries to 3,100 newly recruited workers into the state civil service.
The payment was officially flagged off on Tuesday by the Head of the Sokoto State Civil Service, Abdulkadir Ahmed, at a brief ceremony held at the Cabinet Office, Sokoto.
Speaking at the occasion, the Head of Service said the commencement of salary payments followed a verification exercise conducted to ensure that the newly recruited workers were present at the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to which they had been posted.
He added that the recruitment of the 3,100 workers was in fulfilment of Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s campaign promise to provide employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed population in the state.
According to him, the recruitment is in addition to various skills acquisition programs organised by the present administration, through which thousands of women and youths have been trained in different trades and supported with equipment and take-off grants to enable them to establish their own businesses and become self-reliant.
The Head of Service further disclosed that the present administration had recruited thousands of workers into the state workforce within three years, describing the feat as worthy of commendation.
He urged the newly recruited workers to be punctual, dedicated and committed to their duties, stressing the need for them to contribute meaningfully to the effective delivery of public service in the state.
Some of the beneficiaries interviewed commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu for the employment opportunity and assured him of their commitment to discharging their responsibilities diligently and living up to expectations.
It would be recalled that Governor Ahmed Aliyu has, within three years, employed over 8,000 workers across various sectors of the state.
The health sector accounts for 1,805 of the recruits, comprising 1,500 nurses and midwives, 175 doctors, 45 pharmacists, and 85 radiographers and other health professionals.
Similarly, 2,747 personnel have been recruited into the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, while the Sokoto State Marshal recently recruited 1,550 personnel.
All these recruitments were carried out irrespective of the applicants’ political affiliations to give every qualified indigene of the state an equal opportunity to participate.
These efforts are in addition to the various skills acquisition and empowerment programmes implemented by the present administration to promote self-reliance, create economic opportunities and improve the livelihoods of residents.
