Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf has warned against the ongoing crisis of salary underpayment and outright non-payment affecting civil servants, denouncing the act as a grave violation of workers’ rights and a betrayal of public trust.
A statement from the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Thursday, revealed the administration’s resolve to root out those responsible and hold them accountable.
Governor Yusuf, visibly incensed by reports that some workers have endured months without their rightful earnings, vowed to expose and prosecute all culprits behind the financial injustice.
“This administration will not tolerate any form of injustice against our workers. Anyone found complicit in this reprehensible act will face the full wrath of the law,” he declared.
In a move to tackle the irregularities, Governor Yusuf has set up a powerful investigative committee tasked with identifying the root causes of the discrepancies—be it technical lapses or deliberate financial sabotage.
The committee has been mandated to conduct a sweeping audit of the state’s payroll from October 2024 to February 2025, pinpoint affected workers, quantify the financial losses, and recommend both corrective and punitive measures.
The seven-member team, chaired by Hon. Abdulkadir Abdussalam, Commissioner for Rural & Community Development and former State Accountant General, consists of top government officials and financial experts with deep knowledge of payroll systems. Other members include Dr. Bashir Abdu Muzakkari, Special Adviser on Digital Economy; Dr. Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Director-General of the Kano State Bureau of Statistics; Dr. Hamisu Sadi Ali, Director-General of the Kano State Debt Management Office; Hajiya Zainab Abdulkadir, Director of the Kano State Computer Centre; Aliyu Muhammad Sani, Director of Research & Evaluation at the REPA Directorate under the SSG’s Office, who will serve as Secretary; and Ummulkulthum Ladan Kailani, Senior Assistant Secretary in the Admin. & General Services Directorate, SSG’s Office, who will serve as Co-Secretary.
The committee has been given just seven days to submit a comprehensive report detailing those responsible, the scale of financial malpractice, and concrete recommendations to prevent recurrence.
Reassuring civil servants of his administration’s commitment to justice and transparency, Governor Yusuf made it clear that those exploiting workers would face dire consequences.
“The era of shortchanging our workers is over. This is a government of accountability, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” he warned.
With the committee set to swing into action, expectations are high that this bold intervention will expose entrenched payroll fraud, restore confidence in the state’s wage system, and safeguard the rights of Kano’s workforce.
The committee was inaugurated by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Faruk Ibrahim, on behalf of Governor Yusuf.
