FG tackling workers receiving salaries after relocating abroad, says Yemi-Esan

Folasade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service of the federation (HOCSF), says the federal government has uncovered 1,618 ghost workers through the integrated personnel and payroll information system (IPPIS). 

She said this on Wednesday in Abuja during a parley to mark the 2024 civil service week. 

Yemi-Esan said 69,308 civil servants, who participated in the compulsory verification exercise, have been “fully integrated” into the IPPIS.

She said government is weeding out workers who relocated abroad but are still on the payroll. 

“There are efforts to tackle Nigerians who have relocated abroad — doing new jobs but are still under the payroll of the civil service,” she said.

“The federal government is going hard on them as many of them are voluntarily resigning after the physical verifications.

“It is a Nigerian thing. We are running hard against the culture that tolerates it. Outsiders don’t know the bashing we get everyday trying to do the right thing.

“I expect that once the verification report comes, anybody who is not in the country automatically loses his job.

“What we discovered in the last month of that verification is that most of them are now resigning their appointments which is a good development.

“Recently, there was a circular that went out to all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that they should do a physical headcount in their MDAs.

“That means everybody on the nominal roll that is receiving salaries should appear physically and the names of those who did not show up for the exercise should be forwarded.”

Yemi-Esan said she “cautioned” permanent secretaries and CEOs in various MDAs that they would be held liable if discovered that they provided wrong information.

Yemi-Esan said to build the capacity of civil servants, 8,905 workers were trained under the structured mandatory assessment-based programme in the federal civil service. 

The head of service, who was appointed in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, is due for retirement in August.