Salary Racketeering: Sokoto Extends Amnesty For Culprits

The Sokoto State Government has extended the amnesty window given to workers collecting abnormal salaries or engaging in malpractices in the salary system to December 31.
The Acting Chairman, Sokoto State Steering Committee on Integrated Payroll and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Alhaji Sani Bunun-Yabo, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Sokoto, yesterday.
Bunun-Yabo said that the period of the amnesty which began from November 27 ended on December 9, 2019 by 12 midnight.
However, he said the state government in recognition of the success recorded in the exercise had decided to extend the period to December 31.
“This is to inform the general public that the state government has extended the period of the amnesty to civil servants engaged in malpractices in the salary system.
“The earlier deadline has been extended to December 31, 2019 at 12 midnight. This is to enable all those affected to seize the opportunity to cooperate, as more and more people are already reporting to the committee and other specified points of contact”, Bunun-Yabo said.
He said the initiative was to enable civil servants collecting salaries they don’t earn and those engaged in improper practices against regulations to come forward and open up under confidentiality and guaranteed state pardon.
He explained that government considered the opportunity as a humane gesture and therefore, appealed to all concerned to avail themselves with the gesture.
“The state government wishes to make it abundantly clear that the current initiative is not a probe or witch hunt.
“Rather it is an effort to sanitize the management of state salary system in order to ensure transparency and accountability and guarantee the entitlements of workers.
“At the end of this period, appropriate sanctions will be meted out to those found wanting in accordance with Civil Service Rules and relevant laws,” he said.
The committee chairman added that in the course of the committee’s activities, a lot of wrong doings were discovered and assured increased confidentiality and reward where appropriate.