Governor Senator Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, North-East Nigeria, has approved the adjustment of closing time for civil servants during the Ramadan period.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Overseeing Director, Establishments for Head of Civil Service, Isma’il Ibn Garam, disclosed this in a statement signed on Wednesday.
According to Garam, the governor said civil servants are to close at 3 pm from Mondays to Thursdays, while on Fridays, offices are to close at 1 pm with effect from the start to the end of the fasting period.
The statement added that the adjustment is to support Muslim civil servants in observing the sacred practices of Ramadan and to engage fully in worship.
The statement read, “The government, therefore, encouraged the civil servants to use the holy month to pray for the prosperity and advancement of the state and nation at large.”
Meanwhile, Governor Ahmed Sokoto of Sokoto State, Northwest Nigeria approved the payment of half the salary as a Ramadan gift to all civil servants from primary school teachers to local government staff as well as pensioners in the state.
Sokoto said this formed part of his efforts to ensure that Muslims in the state start this year’s Ramadan fast comfortably.
A statement signed by his media aide, Abubakar Bawa, and made available to newsmen on Sunday read, “The governor in a magnanimous gesture, which is expected to commence tonight, is to assist workers in the state observe this year’s Ramadan fast with relative ease.
“Governor Aliyu, therefore, appealed to the Muslim ummah to use the sacred month to pray for Allah’s intervention in the numerous challenges hindering Nigeria’s development.
“He also called on traders and wealthy individuals in the state to show love and mercy to the have-nots for them to earn Allah’s mercy and forgiveness in this holy month.
“The governor thanked the people of the state for their continued support and fervent prayers to his administration, which he described as key to all the success so far recorded in the state.”
