Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
Plateau State government has sacked 532 civil servants with questionable records and removed their names from the state payroll after their verification by the authorities using the BVN.
Governor Simon Lalong made the disclosure during a policy retreat for permanent secretaries held at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru. He said the exercise would continue, as those found culpable will face disciplinary proceedings. He also vowed to continue to rid the civil service of the staff who have questionable records or are found to have tampered with their records.
According to him, “I am aware of the huge manpower gaps that exist in the Plateau State civil service because of years of unemployment. With the setting up of the Nde John Gobak Committee on the Verification and Audit of Staff strength, we will address these issues once the committee completes its assignment and submits its report.”
The governor added that about 532 names have been removed from government payroll after an investigation using the BVN system revealed inconsistencies in their records adding that some had falsified their ages or tampered with their records while others could not appear to answer queries on such records.
Lalong told the permanent secretaries that the state is facing a continuous decline in revenues from FAAC which makes it very necessary to generate more revenue internally to meet the yearnings of the people stressing that this necessitated priority spending on areas that will yield revenues in all MDAs as well as the blocking of leakages in the system.
He also reminded the permanent secretaries that government business in Plateau State is now driven by ICT and as such, they must not only be proficient but also mentor all civil servants in utilising ICT for carrying out their day-to-day schedules.
Meanwhile the head of Service Plateau State, Engr Sunday Chong Hyat said the policy retreat became necessary because of the appointment of 14 new permanent secretaries and the fact that the last exercise was held in 2015.
He said as accounting officers of various MDAs, the permanent secretaries have been equipped with relevant knowledge to enforce discipline and good conduct in line with extant rules and regulations of the civil service.
(leadership.ng)
