The Sokoto State Government has announced that a Unified Certificate of Origin/Indigene will now serve as the sole recognised proof of origin across all 23 Local Government Areas in the state.

This directive was issued in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Careers and Counselling Department, Cabinet Office, Aminu Bello Gwadabawa, on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government.

According to the statement, the government is concerned about the continued lack of uniformity in certificates issued by various local councils. Gwadabawa explained that these inconsistencies “undermine ongoing efforts to standardise documentation and compromise the integrity, credibility, and reliability of records used for citizenship and indigene verification.”

The unified certificate, he noted, was introduced as a harmonised document designed “to curb the use of forged or unverified certificates, simplify identification procedures, and ensure consistency in processes relating to employment, scholarships, school admissions, recruitment, and other official activities.”

The government has directed all federal and state ministries, departments, agencies, parastatals, commissions, military and paramilitary bodies, local government councils, educational institutions, and tertiary schools to accept only the newly approved certificate.

Gwadabawa further stressed that the unified document “overrides all previously issued certificates from any Local Government Authority,” adding that anyone who fails to present the approved certificate “should, politely, not be processed or attended to for any official matter that requires proof of origin.”

He called on heads of institutions, departments, and agencies to enforce full compliance and ensure their staff are adequately briefed.