15th February, 2017
Sokoto State Government says it is targeting over N1 billion from the education levy it introduced on its workers in 2017.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Alhaji Mainasara Ahmed, disclosed this in Gusau on Wednesday.
Ahmed spoke at a three-day workshop organized by a USAID-assisted Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Development(LEAD) project that are being implemented in Sokoto and Bauchi states.
The workshop has its theme as: “2016 Sokoto State Budget Performance Review and Public Hearing on 2017 Budget Workshop”.
“The monthly levy was introduced for both the workers in the employ of the state government and those in the 23 local governments.
“This levy is aimed at shoring up the provision of funds to ensure the successful implementation of the state of emergency declared on the education sector.
“The state government has also imposed a one-per cent levy on all individual and corporate contractors in this direction,” he said.
The permanent secretary also said that the state government had introduced a bond to henceforth be signed by all contractors and site Engineers supervising projects across the state.
He said the bond was introduced to ensure the quality execution of projects and for the government to have value for its money.
“The problem of executing shoddy projects by contractors is a source of concern to the state government.
“You will see some projects executed in the 1960s and 1970 and are still standing firm, requiring only minor rehabilitation work.
“But it is disheartening that some projects executed in the past one decade are now in a terrible state,” Ahmed lamented.