Katsina State Government has begun offering automatic employment to indigenes who graduate with first-class degrees from higher institutions across the country.
Governor Dikko Radda said the policy is aimed at attracting some of the brightest graduates into the state civil service to improve efficiency and enhance public service delivery over the long term.
The governor announced the policy last night during the grand finale and award presentation of the maiden Katsina State Students’ Week held at Bayero University, Kano.
According to the governor, the automatic employment initiative was initially introduced for first-class graduates of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University and other tertiary institutions within Katsina State.
However, the programme has now been extended to all Katsina students who earn first-class degrees from accredited institutions nationwide.
“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,” Radda said.
He explained that the decision was strategic and designed to build a highly skilled civil service capable of competing with the best in the country.
“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,” he said.
The governor added that bringing highly talented individuals into government service would improve institutional capacity and create a workforce capable of driving sustainable development across various sectors.
Furthermore, Radda said his administration had continued to invest heavily in education through scholarship support, bursary payments and infrastructure development.
He noted that outstanding scholarship obligations inherited by the administration had been addressed.
Radda said bursary allowances were also reviewed upward to encourage students to remain focused on their academic pursuits.
According to him, sustained investment in education has contributed to reducing the number of out-of-school children and helped prevent many young people from becoming vulnerable to social vices.
Radda maintained that education remains one of the key priorities of his administration, stressing that a significant portion of the state budget has consistently been allocated to the sector.
He disclosed that more than 10,000 teachers had been recruited while new schools were constructed and existing educational facilities rehabilitated to improve learning conditions across the state.
The governor urged students to remain committed to academic excellence and use their knowledge and skills to contribute to the progress of Katsina State.
He also commended the achievements of Katsina students, saying their performance continued to make the state proud.
Also speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Haruna Muhammad, described Radda as a governor who has demonstrated strong commitment to student welfare and educational development.
Muhammad praised the upward review of scholarship support for students and expressed the university’s willingness to collaborate with the Katsina State Government on initiatives aimed at advancing education.