Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has extended automatic employment to indigenes of the state who graduate with first-class degrees from higher institutions across Nigeria.
Radda announced the extension on Sunday during the grand finale and award presentation of the maiden Katsina State Students’ Week held at Bayero University, Kano.
The governor said the policy was designed to attract the brightest minds into the state civil service and strengthen its capacity for effective service delivery.
According to him, the automatic employment policy was initially introduced for first-class graduates of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University and other institutions within Katsina State, but has now been expanded to cover all Katsina indigenes graduating with first-class degrees from institutions across the country.
“When I assumed office, I introduced automatic employment for students who graduated with first-class degrees. We implemented this policy at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University and other institutions located in Katsina State.
“Today, I am pleased to expand the offer to all Katsina State students across the country who graduate with first-class degrees from this year onward,” he said.
Radda said the decision was deliberate and aimed at building a more efficient, productive and competitive civil service in the state over the next decade.
“If we recruit a significant number of first-class graduates into the civil service, Katsina State will have one of the most efficient and productive civil services in the country within the next 10 to 15 years.
“You will have a civil service that can compete favourably with any state in the federation and even rival those at the federal level because we are bringing highly talented individuals into the service,” the governor added.
He said his administration had prioritised education by settling outstanding scholarship obligations and increasing bursary allowances to encourage students to remain in school and pursue their academic goals.
The governor added that his administration had also made significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state, thereby preventing many young people from drifting into social vices.
Radda said education remained one of the top priorities of his administration, noting that the state government had consistently allocated a substantial part of its budget to the sector.
He disclosed that the government had recruited more than 10,000 teachers, constructed new schools and rehabilitated educational infrastructure across the state.
The governor urged students to continue striving for excellence and to contribute meaningfully to the development of Katsina State, adding that their outstanding performance had made him proud both as a son and governor of the state.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Haruna Musa-Muhammad, described Radda as a student-friendly governor.
Musa-Muhammad commended the upward review of the state scholarship scheme and expressed the university’s readiness to partner with the Katsina State Government in advancing educational development.
Earlier, the convener of the event and Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Matters, Muhammad Nagaske, said the Students’ Week was organised to foster collaboration, promote academic excellence, encourage cultural exchange and discover talents among students from various institutions.
The event brought together Katsina students from higher institutions in Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Borno and other states.
Participants who excelled in the week-long activities, including sports, academic competitions and cultural displays, received various prizes.