The ADC Governorship Candidate in Sokoto State, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, has raised the alarm over what he described as the systematic destruction of the state civil service under the APC-led administration, accusing the government of weakening the established career structure by retaining retired civil servants in active service beyond their statutory retirement dates. Dan’iya said the practice, which he described as unprecedented in the history of the Sokoto civil service, is now affecting virtually every level of the public service, from primary school teachers and headmasters to secondary school teachers, principals and Permanent Secretaries.
In a statement signed by his Media Aide, Aminu Abdullahi, Dan’iya said the government is allegedly issuing extensions and allowing some officials to remain in office after retirement, not merely on clearly defined contractual arrangements for specific services, but as extensions of their previous positions. He said this practice is blocking the natural progression of the civil service, denying qualified younger officers opportunities for advancement and disrupting the established chain of command. He also questioned the reported practice of appointing people without the appropriate professional background to sensitive positions, including posting teachers to serve as finance officers while trained and qualified financial officers are allegedly sidelined. “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 said the consequences are now visible in the condition of the state secretariat and other public institutions, describing the Sokoto civil service as “a box with empty shelves”—an institution that still carries the name and structure of a civil service but is increasingly losing the functionality expected of it. He said reports from civil servants in both the Shehu Kangiwa Secretariat and the Usman Faruk Secretariat indicate that many workers now have little meaningful work to perform, with some reportedly going to their offices only a few days a week because ministries and departments are no longer functioning at the level expected of a modern public service. Dan’iya said the alleged situation, if allowed to continue, would have serious consequences for governance, service delivery and the future of the state.
Dan’iya further alleged that only a small number of ministries and government institutions are currently operating with meaningful activity, while the overwhelming majority have become largely inactive. He said a government cannot deliver quality education, healthcare, water, infrastructure, agriculture, security and economic development without a professional and properly functioning civil service to design, implement, supervise and evaluate government policies. “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 therefore called on the APC-led Sokoto State Government to urgently review its policy on post-retirement appointments, extensions and placements, restore professionalism and respect for established career progression, and ensure that every position is occupied by officers with the appropriate qualifications, experience and competence. Dan’iya said retired civil servants who are genuinely required for specific assignments should only be engaged transparently under properly defined contractual arrangements, rather than allowing indefinite extensions that obstruct succession. He also urged the government to restore discipline, accountability and productivity across the ministries, departments and agencies, while creating a working environment in which civil servants have clear responsibilities and are held accountable for results.
Dan’iya warned that the continued deterioration of the civil service would ultimately affect every citizen of Sokoto State and urged the government to treat the matter as an emergency rather than a political issue. He reaffirmed that an ADC administration under his leadership would restore the dignity and professionalism of the Sokoto civil service, strengthen merit-based appointments and promotions, ensure proper succession planning, deploy officers according to their professional competencies and make the public service an effective engine of development. “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. We therefore call on the APC government to act now and save the civil service from total collapse before the damage becomes irreversible,” Dan’iya said.
