The ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, has appealed to the state government to reconsider its policy of retaining retired civil servants through post-retirement appointments and extensions.
Dan’iya made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, alleging that the continued engagement of retired officials in active government positions was undermining the effectiveness of the state civil service and reducing opportunities for younger employees to advance in their careers.
According to him, the practice cuts across several areas of the public service, affecting primary and secondary school teachers, headmasters, principals and Permanent Secretaries.
“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 further alleged that individuals without the required professional qualifications were sometimes assigned to critical government positions. He cited instances where teachers were allegedly posted as finance officers, while personnel with financial expertise were reportedly overlooked.
He also claimed that information received from civil servants working at the Shehu Kangiwa and Usman Faruk Secretariats suggested that some government workers had limited responsibilities, with some allegedly attending their offices only a few days each week.
Dan’iya warned that such developments could hamper the government’s capacity to provide effective services in key sectors, including education, healthcare, water supply, 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.
He called for a review of the state’s approach to post-retirement appointments, extensions and placements, arguing that retired personnel whose expertise remained valuable should be engaged under specific and clearly defined contracts instead of being granted open-ended extensions.
Dan’iya also outlined what he said would be the priorities of his administration if elected, including merit-based appointments and promotions, effective succession planning and assigning public officers to roles that match their qualifications and professional expertise.
“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.
