The Sokoto State Government has recruited and deployed more than 1,500 nurses and midwives to hard-to-reach communities in a major push to strengthen healthcare delivery in rural areas.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu announced the measure at the 8th Sokoto State Council on Health, explaining that the new personnel are serving under a two-year mandatory rural posting policy designed to correct long-standing imbalances in the distribution of health workers.
According to the governor, the policy is anchored on his administration’s 9-SMART Innovative Agenda and targets communities that have historically struggled to attract and retain qualified staff. He said the state is offering incentives, including a 10 per cent rural allowance, to encourage health workers to remain in remote locations and provide consistent services.
Aliyu said the initiative is aimed at tackling the acute shortage of skilled personnel outside urban centres, a gap that has contributed to poor maternal and child health outcomes and limited access to basic care for thousands of residents.
He disclosed that the government is also working with national health authorities to recruit an additional 2,400 community health workers to reinforce primary healthcare facilities across the state. The expanded workforce is expected to improve immunisation coverage, antenatal care, safe delivery services and management of common illnesses at the grassroots.
The governor acknowledged that Sokoto still faces significant challenges in key health indicators but insisted that strengthening human resources for health is central to reversing negative trends. He described the current recruitment drive as a deliberate and strategic response to long-recognised gaps in rural healthcare.
Aliyu further revealed that the state has partnered with Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital to provide specialist support, supervision and mentorship to frontline workers. The collaboration is intended to improve clinical standards, referral systems and continuous professional development for the newly deployed staff.
State Commissioner for Health, Faruk Abubakar, said the focus on manpower development is part of broader efforts to move Sokoto closer to universal health coverage. He stressed that ensuring an adequate and fairly distributed workforce is essential to meeting the health needs of all communities, regardless of location.
Development partners have welcomed the reforms. A representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Yusuf Alayande, described the rural posting policy and large-scale recruitment as a significant step toward expanding access to skilled healthcare providers in underserved and hard-to-reach areas of Sokoto State.
