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Tag: Civil Servants

  • Coronavirus: Fayemi bans gathering of over 20 people, orders civil servants to work from home

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has ordered some categories of civil servants in the state to work from home in view of the raging Coronavirus pandemic.

    The governor also banned gatherings above 20 people and directed all schools from primary to tertiary level be closed indefinitely.

    In a statewide broadcast on Friday, the governor said civil servants from level 12 below should stay and work from home, except those on essential duty.

    According to him, the steps were necessary to check further spread of the virus in the interest of the citizens.

    In his words: ”All public and private schools and institutions in Ekiti State are to close down from Monday, 23rd March, 2020. All public gatherings of more than 20 persons are banned from today 20th March, 2020. These include: religious gatherings e.g. worship and prayer services, night vigils, house fellowships and NASFAT meetings; social gatherings e.g. burials, weddings, family meetings and parties of any kind; political gatherings, e.g. rallies, congresses, ward meetings; night clubs, bars, beer joints, NYSC CDS meetings etc.

    “All non-essential services in private and public sectors are encouraged to work from home from Monday 23rd March 2020. These includes civil and public servants from level 12 officers and below; except essential services like health workers, caregivers, social welfare officers, fire service officers, emergency response officers, media professionals, and security/ watchmen in public institutions.

    ”No overloading of passengers in public transportation with effect from today. Commercial vehicles must ensure only one person is sitting in the front seat with the driver and not more than three passengers on a row in the backseat. Motorcyclists (Okadas) must carry only one passenger each to minimize close contact as much as possible. Hand washing facilities must be available at all motor parks.”

    The governor urged residents to wash their hands regularly with liquid soap under running water multiple times everyday to avoid virus transfer, adding that public places must provide hand washing implements at the entrance and exit of their facility with immediate effect.

    He added that market men and women must practice hand washing under running water with liquid soap at least six times a day in their stalls, saying this was to minimize the transfer of virus picked up in the process of buying and selling.

    According to him, citizens visiting markets must ensure they wash their hands with soap under running water as soon as they leave the market before they got home.

    ”Unnecessary travels in and out of Ekiti State is hereby discouraged at this time. While we cannot totally shut down the state, we must minimize unnecessary traffic especially from out-of-state, so we can protect our citizens from further importation of the virus and also protect the rest of the country by minimizing the exportation of any virus which may be present in Ekiti State,” he said.

    Fayemi stated that the isolation centre had been equipped with necessary facilities needed by health officials and patients.

    “While these measures may appear excessive, we cannot afford the spread of a debilitating virus like COVID-19 in Ekiti State. Apart from its alarming mortality rate, especially on senior citizens who constitute a significant part of our demography in Ekiti State, its capacity to destroy the economy of a community is very lethal. As someone has said, “the risk of doing too little is unimaginable, while the risk of doing too much, in this circumstance, is completely irrelevant.” It is thus safer to act excessively in abundance of caution, than to act inadequately and live with scary consequences,” he added.

  • Exposed: How 11,000 civil servants on Rivers payroll forge their ages

    Exposed: How 11,000 civil servants on Rivers payroll forge their ages

    The Rivers Government has said that during the recent biometric exercise on civil servants and pensioners as directed by Governor Nyesom Wike, it uncovered no fewer than 11,000 civil servants who forged their age in service.

    The government also discovered not less than 1,500 civil servants with more than one pay point, meaning that they were stealing from the government by earning double salaries from different ministries.

    It also identified no fewer than 5,000 fake pensioners during the last biometric exercise, just as the government has concluded plans to begin fresh biometric capture of all retiring civil servants from next week.

    According to The Tide, the Rivers Government newspaper, these details were made public by the Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mr. Ibifuro Asawo, in Port Harcourt, on the activities of his department in the past two years.

    Asawo explained that the new policy of the Wike administration was to ensure that all sectors were driven by ICT to inject transparency and accountability in the system.

    “We plan to synergise and link all ministries, departments and parastatals for the ease of doing business in the state,” he emphasised.

    On the new policy of government to run an ICT-driven administration, the governor’s aide said that the new automated public service system was such that no civil servant can cut corners.

    “What we have done now is such that we know how many people will be retiring each month and at each quarter, and so, nobody can short-change government”, Asawo noted.

    The plan in the upcoming months, according to Asawo, is to move down to the grassroots, stressing, “We plan to cover the 23 local government areas. Our vision is to encourage them to invest in ICT because that is the way to go now.”
    Currently, he revealed that the ICT department has covered all health institutions in the state through an automated and integrated system.

    “Everything we are doing now is going digital. So, if you go now to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, doctors are now using the system to register patients and keep records for easy tracking and retrieval.”

    The next step, he revealed, is to capture all health facilities and professionals online. This, he said, will curb quackery.

  • Ekiti: Three kidnapped civil servants regain freedom

    Three civil servants kidnapped by suspected herdsmen last Friday in Ekiti State, have been left off the hook.
    The workers, led by one Ayoola Alabi and two other junior staff are employees of the Ekiti State Road Maintenance Agency (EKROMA).
    They were reportedly kidnapped along Ayede – Isan Ekiti road in Oye Local Government area of the state, a family source told journalists in Ado Ekiti, on Friday
    It was gathered that the abductors had earlier contacted the abductees families, demanding N10m for each of their victims.
    But a family source, who craved anonymity told journalists that they paid N1million ransom for each worker to secure their freedom.
    The source said : “Yes, they were released yesterday, after they paid N1million each.”
    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ekiti Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, confirmed the release.
    He, however, said the abductees were freed through the prompt and decisive actions taken by the police.
    “Immediately we heard about the kidnapping, our men bombarded the forest located between Ayede and Isan up to Ijesamodu where they were taken to.
    “We combed everywhere and when they knew we were closing in on them, they quickly released those held hostage and fled .
    “Our men were very careful to avoid crossfire with the abductors , so that the hostages won’t be killed in the process and it worked out”, he said .
    Ikechukwu said the police were never told whether the families paid ransom to anyone.
    “I can’t confirm whether ransom was paid, because we were not told and there was no need for that with the level of strategies that we deployed,” he said.

  • FG minimum wage template will impoverish workers – Labour

    The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, has said that unrealistic demand from senior civil servants is delaying the implementation of the new Minimum Wage.
    But in a quick response, the Joint National Public Negotiation Council, which is representing workers in the negotiation, said government introduced a new strategy to halt negotiation with the introduction of new figures to come up with its own template.
    Labour added that the new template the Federal Government was proposing to implement the new minimum wage would impoverish workers.
    Negotiation between the Federal Government and the Joint National Public Negotiation Council broke down two weeks ago because of differences in percentage increase in the salaries of workers.
    While the Federal Government’s representatives in the technical committee set up to negotiate the consequential increase had proposed 9.5 per cent salary increase for workers on Grade Level 07 to Level 14 and five per cent increase for employees on Grade Level 15 to 17, the labour representatives are demanding 30 per cent salary increase for workers on Grade Level seven to 14 and 25 per cent for workers on Grade Level 15 to 17.
    While speaking with journalists at the opening of a retreat on 2017-2020 federal civil service strategy and implementation plan organised by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja on Monday, Oyo-Ita said the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to the implementation of the new minimum wage.
    She called on labour to review its demands.
    She said, “President Buhari is keen on the implementation of the new minimum wage and that is why the committee set up on the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage has been meeting unions within the labour union and the public service to arrive at a consequential adjustment.
    “There were a few not very realistic demands from the unions and so as not to continue delaying the implementation of the well-thought-out and clear policy of the President, we have to go ahead and seek his approval for the implementation while we continue discussion on the consequential adjustment.”

  • Osun uncovers 769 civil servants working with forged certificates

    Osun uncovers 769 civil servants working with forged certificates

    The Osun Government on Friday said it has discovered 769 workers in the state’s civil service who were working with fake and forged school certificates.

    Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, who is supervising the Information and Strategy Ministry, said in a statement that the discovery was made after five years of screening carried out by a consultancy firm employed by the state government.

    “A consultancy firm, The Captain Consultants, engaged five years ago by the state government to verify the results and other necessary documents of the workers in the state, has completed its assignment and submitted its report.

    “The screening of the workers’ credentials came on the heels of controversies and reported forgery of results which some of the workers allegedly used to secure job in the Osun civil service.

    “At the commencement of the screening exercise in 2015, all the civil servants in the state were asked to submit their credentials in their personal files from which the Captain Consultants firm got access to their results and begun the verification exercise.

    “Each and every result submitted by each of the workers was verified in their various secondary schools, post secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

    “Some of the workers who were suspected to have forged/fake results were summoned by the firm and asked to present original results or go to their various schools for either attestation or re-confirmation.

    “The firm, on its own, approached the schools for ‘confirmation of results’ of the affected workers for which they were obliged.

    “The verification process uncovered serious certificate infraction on the part of some of the workers across Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government.

    “In some cases, as discovered in the verification process, some of the affected workers used another person’s result, while some forged their secondary and post secondary schools results to secure job in the civil service.

    “In the case of some people employed as drivers in the service, it was discovered that they forged the ‘O’Level results they submitted for their appointment.

    “However, the firm in its report recommended that some of the civil servants caught in the certificate infraction be pardoned, while some should not be pardoned.

    “Recommended for pardon are 102 drivers and 30 other workers who are to be pardoned on compassionate ground. A total of 586 workers are not pardoned, while the case of some 51 workers are still pending.

    “While the exercise was on, some of the workers who were cleared and pardoned were receiving their salary, while those that are yet to be pardoned have their salary suspended.

    “A complete list of all the workers involved in the certificate infraction has been pasted at the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Civil Service Commission and Local Government Service Commission.

    “Affected workers should check their names in the aforementioned places,” he said.

  • Civil servants in Osun shun work after Isese, Eid-el-Kabir holidays

    There was a low turnout of state government workers in Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Thursday after the long holidays for Isese Day and Eid-el-Kabir celebrations in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Isese Day holiday was declared by Osun Government for traditional religion worshipers to celebrate their religion.

    The Isese holiday was observed on Monday, August 20, while the two-day Eid-el-Kabir holiday, declared by the Federal Government, were observed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    A visit by NAN to the state government secretariat in Abere and Olorunda as well as Osogbo Local Government secretariat, all in Osogbo, revealed that many of the workers were yet to resume.

    Some of the secretariat staff, who spoke under anonymity, said that the situation might be because the week was nearly over.

    One of the officers said: “Normally, when we get holidays that extend to Wednesday and Thursday, the week is already over, so there is no need rushing back from where you travel to.

    “It is not easy to be rushing back to work on a Thursday or Friday to resume work when the next day is weekend, so the best is to just round off the week.”

    On why he was back to work contrary to his explanation, he said he was on essential duty “as some people had to be on duty to keep the work going.”

    NAN reports that banks were, however, opened to customers. Some shops have equally re-opened for business.

    The NYSC Secretariat staff were all back to work and normal daily activities were in full gear.

    Some of the staff were seen having meetings in their departments.

     

  • Gov. Ortom gives quit notice to Public/Civil Servants eyeing partisan politics

    As activities for the 2019 general elections build up, Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue has served quit notice to all Public and Civil Servants eyeing partisan politics in the state.

    In a circular by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Anthony Ijohor (SAN), conveying the directive, the governor asked such officers to resign before May 29 or face sanctions.

    The circular read in part: “The Executive Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has directed that all Political Appointees/Civil Servants on the pay roll of the Benue State Government, who wish to seek public offices in the 2019 General Elections, should as a matter of necessity resign their appointments, latest 29 May, 2018.”

    He, however, warned against canvassing for votes and campaigning for elective offices without resigning.

    The governor also warned that such actions would attract sanctions and hence a breach of the governors’ directive.

    Some of the lawyers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on the directive, said the governor had the right under the Electoral Act to ask for their resignation since they were “mere” political appointees.

    They also explained that both Public and Civil Service rules prohibited officers from partaking in partisan politics while in active service.

     

  • Assets declaration: CCT convicts 16 civil servants in Bauchi

    The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Bauchi has convicted 16 civil servants and political office holders found guilty of non-declaration of assets.

    Mallam Ibrahim Alhassan, the Head of Press and Public Relations of the CCT disclosed this in an interview with on Thursday in Bauchi

    He said the convicted persons failed to submit a written declaration of all their assets and liabilities within the prescribed period of three months that violated various provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

    Alhassan said that the action was contrary to paragraph 11(1) of the Fifth Schedules, Part One of the Constitution, punishable under Paragraph 18(2) of the Fifth Schedule.

    He said out there was a total of 55 defaulters out of which 16 persons were convicted.

    “The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar gave a fine of N5, 000 to N30,000 fine to the convicted defaulters and ordered that the fine be paid within 30 days.

    “Failure to remit the fines within the stipulated 30 days will cause the convicts to vacate their positions as state government staff or political office holder.

    ‎”At the instance of the prosecution the tribunal withdrew charges against 12 persons that appeared before the tribunal while 10 defaulters were absent in the tribunal.

    “Therefore, 27 cases were adjourned to Abuja on different dates.

    “Some of the defaulters were cautioned and given second chance due to the factors surrounding their inability to declare their assets,” he said.

    The 55 defaulters, 18 are political appointees,10 police officers, four NDLEA personnel, one Customs officer and 22 career civil servants working with the Local, State and Federal Governments.

  • Delta Govt. to build 10,000 housing units for civil servants

    Delta Govt. to build 10,000 housing units for civil servants

    The Delta Government says it will build 10,000 housing units for its civil servants at Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.

    The Commissioner for Information, Mr Patrick Ukah, made this known at a news conference on Wednesday in Asaba.

    Ukah said the decision was taken at the State Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday in Asaba.

    He said that the project was to alleviate the housing challenges faced by the civil servants, especially the workers residing in Asaba, the state capital.

    According to him, the housing project is meant to make the workers more comfortable to meet the demands of their duties.

    The commissioner said that government also approved the completion of the Udu Harbour Market, Phase I project.

    He said approval had been given for constructing concrete drains and discharge channel from Refinery Road, through Aribogha and Jesus is Lord Streets to the natural waterway by Jakpa Road, Effurun.

    The commissioner said that approval had been given for the construction of Ibusa-Achalla-Asaba Road in Oshimili North to connect all communities in the area to the major cities in the state.

    “Government also approved the construction of the 1.5 kilometre Ogulagha-Youbebe-Biniebiama Road in Burutu and the rehabilitation of the 4.6 kilometre Orogun-Emevor Road,” he said.

    He added that the construction of the 11.3 kilometre Arhagba-Orogun Road in Ughelli North and the construction of Upper Ojekpolor Street in Ika North-East, had also been approved.

     

  • El-Rufai’s incessant sack of civil servants will increase crime rate in Kaduna – PDP

    …backs ongoing teachers’ strike

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it was in support of the current indefinite strike by public school teachers in Kaduna State.

    The State Chairman of PDP, Mr Felix Hyat made the declaration in a statement signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Abraham Catoh in Kaduna.

    He faulted the state government on its threat to sack teachers that joined the strike, stressing that strike was “a legal means for all civil servants to seek redress on the injustice presently meted out on them.’’

    According to the PDP chairman, the sack of the teachers was callous, insensitive and meant to increase the level of unemployment and poverty in the state.

    “The incessant sack of civil servants in the state, if allowed to continue unabated, would definitely lead to high rate of crime, social vices and would dampen the morale of civil servants in the state,” Hyat added.

    The PDP chairman also faulted the provision of N1 billion in the state 2018 budget to construct new legislative quarters after selling the ones on ground by the government.

    “We condemned this act in its entirety, for it is another ploy to fleece the resources of the people of our state of their collective commonwealth.’’

    Hyat also accused the state government of undertaking “fictitious projects and consultancy contracts’’ with no bearing or direct impact on the masses.

    On security, the state PDP chairman said Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i has demonstrated “ineptitude and lack of capacity to curb the insecurity challenge bedevilling the state.’’

    According to the chairman, the PDP would “reinstate all unjustly sacked civil servants’’ if elected in 2019.

    He advised the electorate to use their permanent voter card to vote out the APC government in the state in 2019.

    Reacting to the statement, the State APC Director, Media and Publicity, Mr Manasseh Istifanus said the party would not exchange words with the PDP.

    He, however, said the sack of teachers and other civil servants was part of ongoing reforms in the civil service.

    According to him, the state government would replace the over 21,000 teachers sacked with 25, 000 qualified ones that would add value to the education sector.

    On the N1 billion budgeted for the building of legislative quarters by the government, Istifanus dismissed the claim as mere “concoction’’ by the PDP.

    He stressed that the government had considered so many factors in arriving at the number of civil servants being disengaged, so as to rejuvenate and inject vibrancy in the state civil service.