Sokoto Mandates Unified Origin Certificate

The Sokoto State Government has issued a firm directive declaring that only the Unified Certificate of Origin/Indigene will be officially recognized as the valid proof of origin across all twenty-three Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. This move aims to enforce standardized documentation across all public services.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by Aminu Bello Gwadabawa, the Permanent Secretary of the Careers and Counselling Department, acting on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government.

The government expressed deep concern over the persistent lack of uniformity in certificates of origin previously issued by different local councils. Gwadabawa noted that such inconsistencies “undermine the State Government’s efforts to standardise documentation” and threaten the integrity and credibility of official records related to citizenship and indigene verification.

The newly introduced unified certificate is a single, harmonized document designed to achieve several critical objectives. It seeks “to curb the circulation of forged or unverified attestations, streamline identification processes, and ensure uniformity” in all official engagements.

The streamlined documentation is now mandatory for transactions relating to employment, scholarships, university admissions, recruitment, and all other official purposes.

The government has explicitly directed all federal and state ministries, departments, parastatals, boards, commissions, military and paramilitary agencies, local government councils, schools, and tertiary institutions to recognize only the new document moving forward.

Gwadabawa stressed that the unified certificate “supersedes and replaces all previous versions issued by any Local Government Authority.” He issued a clear warning that any individual who fails to present the approved, unified document should “not be processed or attended to for any official transaction that requires proof of origin.”

He concluded by urging all heads of institutions, departments, and agencies to ensure strict compliance with the new policy and to brief their staff accordingly on the immediate change in verification protocol.