FG hints at salary increase for civil servants, uncovers ‘5,000’ ghost workers

The federal government says the present administration is working towards possible salary increase for civil servants.

President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Mohammed Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), said this on Thursday at the inauguration of the cultural change video and federal civil service strategy and implementation plan (FCSSIP) in Abuja.

Buhari said a committee has been set up to harmonise salaries as part of measures at improving “the value proposition of the civil service”.

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

“Accordingly, it is my hope that the outcome of the committee’s work will provide the impetus for an upward review of the salaries of deserving civil servants, having recently increased the duty tour allowance (DTA) of all civil servants as a starting point.

“As this process is still going on, I want to encourage you to be patient with us as you continue to give your best services to enable us to sustain the good working relationship between the political office holders and the civil 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 uncovered in the ministry of information.

She added that the director of human resources at the ministry of labour has been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after “1,000 fake workers” were discovered at the ministry.

According to her, the exercise has brought down the payroll to 74,000 workers from over 100,000 workers that were earning salaries illegally.

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

“You will be surprised at the number that did not have certificates and have been earning salaries for 10 to 20 years,” she said at a meeting with journalists.