Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State has announced the immediate implementation of the new N70,000 national minimum wage for all state civil servants, local government employees, and the Local Government Education Authority.

A statement issued by the governor’s press secretary, Abubakar Bawa, said the policy takes effect on Monday.

The governor described the implementation of the revised minimum wage as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare.

According to the statement, the governor said: “With the commencement of the payment of this new national minimum wage, we expect renewed commitment, hard work, punctuality, and, above all, seriousness from our civil servants.”

Aliyu also reassured state workers of his administration’s dedication to maintaining the timely payment of salaries, assuring them that salaries would continue to be paid between the 19th and 22nd of every month, further solidifying Sokoto State’s reputation as a worker-friendly administration.

The governor has prioritised clearing the backlog of gratuities owed retired workers, in addition to the minimum wage implementation.

The government, according to the statement, has allocated N500 million monthly to offset unpaid gratuities, with an additional N300 million for retirees who left service from 2023 onward.

It stated that the strategic approach ensures that “by the end of my administration, no civil servant will be owed gratuities.”

He contrasted this progress with the situation under previous administrations, where salary payments were often delayed by over 50 days, causing financial uncertainty for workers.