Nigeria: Niger Govt Sacks 80 Civil Servants for Receiving Illegal Allowances

By Ajala Samuel Akindele

The Niger State Government has approved the dismissal of 80 civil servants from the State Civil Service for gross misconduct.

According to a statement released on the state governor's official Twitter feed on Friday, the State Executive Council decision was made known to journalists at the Government House Minna, during a post council briefing.

Explaining the circumstances that led to the dismissal, the Niger State head of the service, Salamatu Abubakar, told journalists that the state government had set up a salary committee to investigate the affected civil servants

She said the civil servants cut across all cadres and gave the break down thus; 1 from the State Ministry of Education, 45 from the State Hospital Management Board, 3 from State Primary Health Care Development Agency, 7 from the State Ministry of Health, 1 from State School of Midwifery, 1 from State School of Health and Technology Tungan Magajiya and 22 from the State Judiciary.

The Executive Council noted that the dismissed officers were involved in fraudulent acts of placing themselves on allowances above their status in the civil service as captured in an interim report submitted to the State government by the State salary committee, pointing out that the affected officers have owned up to their misconducts.

"The Committee unravelled some officers in some MDAs who have fraudulently placed themselves on allowances beyond their current status and entitlements.

"The Council approved the implementation of this report as submitted and has approved the dismissal of some 80 officers from Service who were found wanting.

"These officers were invited by the Committee and were also invited by their MDAs. They made confessional statements, as we speak, their sack letters are being prepared to be given to them".

The council representative emphasised that the exercise of the Committee is ongoing and that the state government is poised to reposition the civil service to reduce and curtail wastages.

It was also disclosed that the government is currently conducting staff list analysis for possible replacement at the end of the exercise of the state salary committee.

The state government, in a bid to purge the civil service, set up a salary committee to, among other things, work on the payroll of the civil servants with the view to sieving out anomalies that accompany the payment of salaries.

The committee submitted an interim report to the office of the Head of Service, which also transmitted the same to the State Auditor General's office. From there, it was presented to the State Council where the decision was taken to dismiss those found wanting.

This article originally appeared on Premium Times

Photo: