He ordered that these individuals repay the money they had obtained fraudulently.
By Arex Stefani
A Nigerian civil servant who moved to the UK in 2022 has revealed he continues to receive his monthly salary without attending work. The 36-year-old, referred to as John for confidentiality, now works as a taxi driver in the UK. He told the BBC that he still receives ₦150,000 monthly from his job in Nigeria due to an agreement with his boss.
Recently, the Federal Government pledged to take action against Nigerian government employees who have moved abroad but continue to receive salaries. On June 22, 2024, President Bola Tinubu expressed concern over reports from the Head of the Civil Service about workers who had relocated abroad but still collected salaries without officially resigning. He ordered that these individuals repay the money they had obtained fraudulently.
Some non-government workers have also benefited by being paid without being part of the civil service. Additionally, some individuals who resigned or moved overseas still receive payments. Despite the President’s directive, John, a junior official at a government agency, remains unfazed, noting that his earnings in the UK exceed his government salary.
He said, “When I heard about the president’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried.”
When asked why he refused to resign from his position after relocating abroad, John said he thought he would probably return after spending some years abroad.
“To be honest, I didn’t resign because I wanted to leave that door open in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years,” he retorted.
John is among several Nigerians who have moved abroad but continue to receive their monthly salaries from the Federal Government.
In June 2022, Dr. Dasuki Arabi, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, revealed that the government-backed Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System had identified and removed about 70,000 ghost workers from the civil service.
Arabi also noted that the government had saved at least ₦220 billion and ₦10 trillion through the Treasury Single Account since its full implementation under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
John continues to enjoy the ‘free money’ he hasn’t been working for for the past two years as he said, “I had a good understanding with my boss and he just let me leave.”
In typical situations, ghost workers usually strike deals with their superiors to conceal the act, and then share the salaries.
But for John, it’s a different ball game as he said, “In my case, it wasn’t like that as my boss was a relative.”
The PUNCH……
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