FG hints at pay rise for civil servants, discovers ‘5,000’ ghost workers

The federal government says the current administration is working on a possible salary increase for civil servants.

President Muhammadu Buharirepresented by Mohammed Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said Thursday during the inauguration of the video on cultural change and the strategy and implementation plan of the federal civil service ( FCSSIP) to Abuja.

Buhari said a committee had been set up to harmonize salaries as part of measures to improve “the value proposition of the civil service”.

“Despite the difficult economic situation the country is going through at the moment, you have continued to support the government in our efforts to bring the dividends of democracy to the people,” he said.

“As a result, I hope that the outcome of the commission’s work will provide the impetus for an upward revision of the salaries of deserving civil servants, having recently increased the touring allowance (DTA) of all civil servants as a point of departure.

“As this process is still ongoing, I want to encourage you to be patient with us as you continue to offer your best services to enable us to maintain the good working relationship between political office holders and public servants.

“With sustained understanding and cooperation, we will together contribute our quota to the development of our country, and our efforts will not be in vain.”

Meanwhile, Folasade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service, says 5,000 ghost workers have been discovered in the information ministry.

She added that the Labor Department’s human resources director was handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) after “1,000 bogus workers” were discovered at the department.

According to her, the drill dropped payrolls to 74,000 workers out of more than 100,000 workers who were earning wages illegally.

Yemi-Esan also said many of the “bogus workers” were detected through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform.

“You will be surprised how many of those who did not have certificates and who have been receiving salaries for 10 to 20 years,” she said during a meeting with reporters.