President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered civil servants who relocated abroad and are still drawing salaries without formally resigning to refund the wages they received during the period or face severe sanctions.
Tinubu who gave the directive during the 2024 Civil Service Award and Gala Night held at the Continental Hotel in Abuja on Saturday, also directed that supervisors and department heads of the culprits must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch.
Tinubu’s orders came following a recent revelation by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, that there were goverment employees who had relocated abroad but were still drawing salaries without formally resigning.
The President who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, stated that he was dismayed over the attitude of the “foreign based” ghost workers.
“During my recent visit to South Africa, I kept abreast of the week’s activities,” Tinubu said.
“I was particularly struck by the revelations the Head of the Civil Service shared regarding employees who had relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning.
“It is heartening to hear that measures have been taken to address this issue, but we must ensure those responsible are held accountable and restitution is made.
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“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected.
Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” Tinubu said.
He warned that the Civil Service cannot just be a workplace where ‘anything is possible and where workers violate rules without the fear of punishment or repercussions.
Tinubu reiterated that the government would take appropriate measures to ensure they were punished and the money refunded to the government treasury.
“The civil service of any nation is too important for such misconduct to take root or be tolerated.
“The Civil Service is the bedrock, the engine, the locomotive of government, which is necessary for the government to deliver public goods to citizens. As politicians, we are no more than drivers of the locomotives that you provide,” he noted.
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