Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on Tuesday vowed that civil servants found to have perpetrated fraudulent acts and other shady deals while in service would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
Bello stated this while receiving the report of the Staff Screening Review Appeal Committee set up to look into the complaints of workers that were not cleared during the earlier staff audit carried out by the government last year.
He said the civil service reform was embarked upon to clean up the “rots” in the service and ensure a disciplined and efficient workforce capable of driving the administration’s “new direction agenda”.
The governor promised to look into the findings and recommendations of the Appeal Committee with a view to implementing them, adding, “We shall tamper justice with mercy, however, those that committed fraud will not be spared.
He sympathize with workers over the pains they had gone through in the last 14 months of the screening exercise especially those that lost lives, assuring that all cleared workers will get the wages due to them.
Earlier, Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Mr John Ayuba of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), had told the governor that the committee discovered 44 different cases of infractions and misconducts committed by civil servants in the course of its assignment.
He enumerated some of the cases to include certificate forgeries and alterations of credentials, alterations of dates of birth, underaged employments, staff collecting double salaries, diaspora staff, staff employed while still in school, absence from work for studies without approval and impersonation.
Other infractions according to him, include staff without requisite qualifications for employments, staff involvement in non-permissible jobs, improper advancement and promotion of staff, replacements of deceased staff with their family members and staff over due for retirement still on the payroll, amongst others.
The committee recommends that appropriate sanctions should be taken against the affected workers in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rule.
Credits: Itodo Daniel Sule | Daily Trust
