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Sokoto Introduces Allowances For Imams, Mosques
The Sokoto State Government has introduced monthly allowances for Imams, their deputies, and Mu’azzins across the state, alongside new allocations to Jumu’at Mosques.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Director General of
Media and Publicity for Sokoto Government House, Abubakar Bawa, noting it as part of efforts to strengthen Islamic propagation and Qur’anic memorisation among children.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu announced the measures on Saturday at the graduation of 111 Qur’an memorisers from the Sokoto branch of the Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation.
Aliyu explained that the new allowances and mosque allocations were designed to support clerics in carrying out their duties effectively while ensuring that the teachings of Islam continue to thrive in the state.
READ ALSO:Sokoto Gov Converts May Salary To Loan, Orders Immediate June Payment
“We have also introduced monthly cash allocations to all our Jumu’at Mosques, ranging from N300,000 to N500,000 depending on their category.
“In addition, monthly allowances have been introduced for Imams, their deputies, and Mu’azzins across the state to support them in the discharge of their duties,” he said.
The governor noted that Islamic affairs remain central to his administration’s “Nine-point Smart Agenda,” ranking second only to security.
“Encouraging Qur’anic memorisation among our children will help raise a generation that upholds the good teachings of Islam in line with the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),” Aliyu added.
READ ALSO:Flash Flood Warning: Sokoto, Edo, Akwa Ibom, 17 Other States At Risk In July — NiMet
He also directed the school management to identify land for the establishment of a permanent site, assuring that the state government would provide the necessary support.
At the event, Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, praised Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi for establishing the foundation and lauded scholars in the state for promoting Islamic ideals and peaceful coexistence.
Former Sokoto governor, Aliyu Wamakko, represented by Aminu Sufi, urged parents to encourage their children to embrace Qur’anic memorisation.
READ ALSO:Sokoto Gov, Aliyu Met With Bandits, Gives Reason
Similarly, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, represented by Lawal Liman, pledged continuous support for the foundation and announced a donation of N22 million alongside food items to the graduands and the school.
The religious school’s proprietor, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, represented by Ibrahim Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, said the foundation’s expansion to other states was aimed at keeping children in structured Qur’anic learning environments and reducing street begging.
Each of the 111 graduands received N20,000 and clothing materials from the Sokoto State Government during the ceremony, which ended with Qur’anic recitations and prize presentations.
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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday
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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.
READ ALSO:Ladoja Coronation Date As 44th Olubadan Revealed
The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.
Details later…
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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.
These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.
The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.
The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.
READ ALSO:FG Introduces Chinese Language Into School Curriculum
By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.
The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.
“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”
Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.
“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.
READ ALSO:FG Gives Mining Firms Deadline For Community Agreements
“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.
He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.
“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”
In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
READ ALSO:FG Gazettes New Tax Reform Laws
He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.
Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.
According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.
This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.
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