The Zamfara State Government has firmly denied widespread reports alleging that civil servants in the state have gone unpaid for four months.
Addressing journalists shortly after the State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Gusau, the Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Yakubu Sani Haidara, dismissed the allegations as unfounded and aimed at tarnishing the administration’s image.
Haidara said the government was shocked by the claims, describing them as untrue and malicious.
“I want to state here that these are false reports from the enemies,” he stated.
He emphasized that Governor Dauda Lawal has made the welfare of civil servants a top priority.
“As the Head of Civil Service, I can confidently say that Governor Lawal is the most civil service friendly governor Zamfara has ever got,” Haidara affirmed.
He further revealed that the governor had, without any demand from workers, cleared a backlog of three months’ salary arrears.
The administration, according to him, has also disbursed pensions and gratuity arrears amounting to approximately N14 billion.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Malam Wadato Madawaki, also refuted the claims, describing them as the work of mischief makers.
He assured that since Governor Lawal assumed office, workers’ salaries have been consistently paid.
“When we came into office, we discovered numerous irregularities across the education sector. Committees were set up to thoroughly review the workforce from basic to senior and tertiary institutions and what we found was a bloated payroll,” Madawaki explained.
He added that in response, Governor Lawal set up a panel to investigate the issues and tasked another group with preparing a white paper to present the findings to the public.
“It’s important for both civil servants and the general public to understand that there has never been a time when salaries were not paid even for a single month. In fact, Governor Dauda Lawal has ensured that salaries are paid on or before the 25th of every month, regardless of the financial situation,” he added.
Madawaki pointed out that a total of 207 education personnel had their salaries withheld due to credible evidence of absenteeism without justification.
“In the education sector, there are 207 individuals whose salaries have been withheld based on credible findings by the committee,” he stated.
He encouraged those peddling false information to come forward with verifiable proof and emphasized the administration’s stance on accountability and transparency.
“We will continue to uphold transparency and accountability. False claims without facts only serve to distract from the government’s commitment to reforms and good governance,” he concluded.
Speaking on other matters addressed during the council meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Mahmud Dantawasa, mentioned that discussions covered key sectors including security, healthcare, agriculture, education, infrastructure, empowerment, and the economy.
He reiterated that the salary-related reports circulating online were completely inaccurate and misleading.
