POLITICS
Sokoto govt weakening civil service with retired workers’ retention — ADC guber candidate, Dan’iya
The ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, has called on the state government to review its policy on post-retirement appointments and extensions for retired civil servants.
Dan’iya, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, alleged that retaining retired officials in active positions was weakening the state civil service and limiting career opportunities for younger workers.
He said the policy had affected various levels of the public service, including primary and secondary school teachers, headmasters, principals and Permanent Secretaries.
According to him, some retired officials were allegedly allowed to remain in their former positions beyond the statutory retirement age instead of being engaged through clearly defined contracts for specific assignments.
“A civil service survives on rules, professionalism, succession and institutional memory. Once those principles are deliberately weakened, the institution itself begins to collapse,” Dan’iya said.
The ADC candidate also alleged that some people without relevant professional backgrounds were being appointed to sensitive positions, claiming that teachers were sometimes deployed as finance officers while trained financial officers were sidelined.
He further claimed that reports from civil servants at the Shehu Kangiwa and Usman Faruk Secretariats indicated that some workers had little or no meaningful work to perform, while others allegedly reported to their offices only a few days a week.
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Dan’iya said the situation could affect the government’s ability to deliver essential services in education, healthcare, water, infrastructure, agriculture and security.
“You cannot build a modern state with a civil service that has been reduced to merely occupying offices. Government exists to serve the people, and the civil service is the machinery through which that service is delivered,” he said.
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He urged the state government to review its policy on post-retirement appointments, extensions and placements, saying retired civil servants whose expertise was still needed should be engaged through clearly defined contracts rather than indefinite extensions.
Dan’iya said his administration, if elected, would prioritise merit-based appointments and promotions, proper succession planning and the deployment of officers according to their qualifications and areas of competence.
“The Sokoto civil service must not be allowed to die quietly. It is the machinery of government, and when that machinery stops working, the entire state suffers,” Dan’iya said.
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