Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has issued an immediate suspension of all non-statutory deductions from workers’ salaries, particularly targeting deductions for cooperative associations and commodity vendors.
This directive, announced on Wednesday by Sulaiman Bala Idris, the governor’s spokesperson, is part of a broader effort to improve transparency and fairness in the state payroll system.
“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 came after a wave of complaints from civil servants, who reported unauthorized deductions from their salaries, often labeled as cooperative or commodity loan repayments.
According to Idris, these deductions were facilitating an “illegal surcharge” on workers’ pay.
In line with the directive, Governor Lawal has instructed the state’s Commissioner of Finance to immediately stop all such deductions and to inform cooperative societies and commodity vendors of the change. This measure is aimed at restoring workers’ trust in the payroll system and ensuring that their earnings are not diminished by unauthorized charges.
