By Olukayode Michael, Maiduguri
Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Umara on Friday, said civil servants need to justify their salary.
He said it was not enough to continue to demand that they should be paid and for salary increment without even resuming on time to work or coming to work at all.
He warned that his administration will not tolerate absenteeism and indiscipline to work from the workforce.
The governor who paid a surprise visit to the State Secretariat at about 8.30 am was surprised to meet just three workers.
He was livid that before he left some minutes to 10 o’clock, the number only grew to 135, whereas the workforce at the State Secretariat, according to the State Head of Service, is over 12,000.
The apparently angry governor, before leaving the State Secretariat directed the Head of Service, Mohammed Hassan to immediately pay the leave grants and other bonuses of the 135 workers on duty during his visit.
Umara said: “If the workers could not be in their offices between 8:30 and 9:30 when he took the final roll call, then there is no justification for their salaries to be paid.”
The governor vowed to deal with erring staff regardless of their status, saying “the state government had to take the action to ensure discipline and dedication at workplace as well as obedience within the civil service.
He said: “The situation is very bad and will not be allowed to remain unchanged. The hardworking and dedicated staff shall be rewarded. We had hot extensive consultation with the leadership of the NLC and they raised their concerns.
“Among the concerns is non-payment of salaries to some certain categories of staff that have not been captured by the biometric system that was put in place by my predecessor. Some have complained that they have been captured, but they have not been paid their salaries.
“Another complaint is that of leave grant as well as annual increment among others. With my wisdom, I decided to visit the secretariat to determine the desirability or otherwise of paying the civil servants.
“On my visit, I am a human being, I am aware that it is Ramadan period. I came to the secretariat at about 8:30am, about 10 staff was in the secretariat, now about 9:30am, a total of 135 staff was at the secretariat. What justification do we have to pay the civil servants? I am ready to pay, I am ready to work closely with the civil servants, but there is no food for lazy people.
“We must enshrine discipline in our system, people must come to work and the erring officials shall be dealt with no matter how highly placed he or she is. This administration will critically examine the request of the civil servants at one hand, on the other hand, they have to also justify the confidence reposed in them.
The governor was also annoyed that of the over 30 Permanent Secretaries in the Secretariat, only two were around when he took the final roll call at about 9:30 am.