Zulum Pays Unsheduled Visit to State Secretariat, Queried 12,000 Workers Absent, Rewards 135 Workers Present, 2 Perm Secs
Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has directed that all civil servants who were on seat when he paid an unscheduled visit to Musa Usman State Secretariat complex Maiduguri be paid their leave grants , promotion benefits and other entitlements immediately as incentive for their discipline, dedication and commitment to duty. Friday
The governorr who was visibly disappointed with the small number of staff who were less than 135 staff as at 9.45 am Nd only 3 staff as at 8.30 am that he visited the entire secretariat out of the more than 12,000 workforce at the secretariat on Friday.
Zulum further directed the Head of Service , Mohammed Hassan to immediately pay the outstanding 50% furniture allowance of the only two Permanent Secretaries he made in seat in the office during his unscheduled visit Friday morning apart from immediate payment of leave grants, gratuities and promotion allowances of the 135 workers he met in office at the state Secretariat.
He added that the state governennt had to take this decision to ensure discipline Nd dedication at work place and obedience within the civil service while those found to be in absential during his visit will be warned or queries, he said.
The governor noted also that he did not cancel verification exercise if the state workforce as reported in some media but said the exercise will be reviewed to ensure that proper things are done and those captured by the machine and yet to be paid their salaries are paid accorsungly while commending his predecessor,former Give to Kashim Shettima for initiating the verification exercise.
He also directed that the pension if the retired workers will also be paid monthly henceforth instead of allowing the figure to accumulate to high figure alongside the outstanding N21 billion arrears of the pension we'd pensioners by the state government which his predecessor could not pay.
Prof. Zulum appealed to the civil servants to be serious and committed to their duties and should not expect government to be paying them their salaries without them coming to work
"We will not allow a situation where governennt will just pay civil servants salaries and they will not come to work or come to work late and close early before closing time. We are ever ready to satisfy them but they too have to do their work. There should be discipline in the civil service then we pay", Zulum said.
He said, " I have already directed that all civil servants should be paid their salaries with or without verification so as to reduce their hardships but wondered what justification he has if civil servants do not come to work?"
He however, thanked the NLC State Chairman , Comrade Bulama Abiso for his understanding and support while assuring that discipline should prevail among the workforce for the state government to Playboy's own part in terms of salriea, allowances and other entitlements.
It will be recalled that the governor on Thursday ordered for immediate payment and settlement of all outstanding salaries and pension arrears of all civil servants who have undergone bio metric data capture or yet to do so before the Eid -El Fitr sallah celebrations.
The governor gave the directive when Chairman Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Comrade Bulama Abiso led other executive members on a solidarity/courtesy call on him at the Government House, Maiduguri.
As at the time of filing this report, civil servants who were absent at the time of the governors visit were seen rushing to their offices to register their presence while others or many were yet to come to work due to the Ramadan Fast as their collegaue kept in making calls to inform them of the presence of the governor at the state Secretariat taking list of names and rank of civil servants on seat in the office.