Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to all non-statutory deductions from workers’ salaries, including those for cooperative associations and commodity vendors.
Workers in the North-Western state have expressed numerous concerns over deductions processed through the state’s payroll system.
In a statement from Gusau, the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, clarified that the directive is intended to end all non-statutory deductions from the Zamfara State Government payroll.
“In his resolve to sanitize the Zamfara State Payroll system for more efficient management of state civil servants’ remuneration currently inundated with a lot of unauthorized and illegal deductions, Governor Dauda Lawal has ordered an immediate halt to all Non Statutory deductions from workers’ salaries,” the statement read.
“The decision was made due to numerous complaints about deductions from workers’ salaries, some of which were used to facilitate an illegal surcharge of the workers in the name of cooperatives & commodity loan repayments.
“Governor Lawal has instructed the Commissioner of Finance to stop all of such deductions from workers’ salaries and to communicate the same information to all cooperative societies & other Commodity Vendors.
“For more clarity, the only allowed statutory deductions comprise the following: PAYE; Union dues; NHF; ZAMCHEMA; Water rate; FMB (Rent to Own); FMB (Home Renovation); Housing Corp Loan.
“The present administration in Zamfara state is committed to implementing measures that support the welfare and development of the civil servants. This includes enhancing working conditions, providing necessary resources, and creating a conducive environment to ensure a highly competent, motivated, and productive workforce.”