FG’s personnel cost now over N5trn, says Ben Akabueze

Ben Akabueze, director-general of the budget office of the federation, says there are 1.5 million workers under the federal government’s payroll.

Akabueze spoke on Monday during an investigative hearing session with the house of representatives ad hoc committee.

The committee sought to investigate the mismanagement of personnel recruitment, employment racketeering and gross mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The director-general also said the personnel cost of the federal government was over N5 trillion.

“As of 2016 when I became director-general of the budget office, the office had 500 people and authorised establishment of 520 and we determined that we didn’t need 500 people,” he said.

“So, over the last seven years, we have come down from 500 to now 318. Not only have we not redrawn, we have significantly reduced our numbers and managed the personnel cost of the government, which as of 2015, was about N1 trillion.

“Today, it is over N5 trillion and as much as we desire to depopulate the growing number of unemployed people in the country, the reality is that the government is not really a direct job creator.

“The role of government is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs. The total number of people in the employment of the federal government nationwide, including all of the security services, the military and all of that, is under 1.5 million people.

“There are people who still argue that the government is overstaffed. I don’t agree in aggregate because my view is that we are overstaffed in some areas and significantly short-staffed in other areas like in our policing and other agencies.”

Speaking also at the investigative hearing, Folashade Yemi-Esan, head of civil service of the federation, debunked the allegations that her office receives a 10 percent bribe whenever waivers are given to agencies.

Yemi-Esan accused some agencies of violating waivers given to them on job recruitment.

“We render service to MDAs and we do not request for any kind of percentage, whether 10 percent or one percent, we do not,” she said.

“In fact, the first time I heard that rumour I called the director and permanent secretary in charge of waivers and told them that I must not hear that kind of thing anymore. If they were doing it before, I really don’t think that would have happened.”

‘SIGNATURE FORGERY’

On her part, Muheeba Dankaka, chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), said some staff of the commission forged her signature to give fake letters of employment to unsuspecting Nigerians.

Dankaka said she was accused by some comissioners of the FCC of job racketeering, involving the recruitment of some persons in a manner that was not in tandem with extant laws.

According to Dankaka, some persons in the commission “forged her signature to give fake letters of employment”.