President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that former federal civil servants who relocated to foreign countries without resigning formally and still drawing salaries from the treasury be made to refund the money.
The President also ordered that supervisors and department heads under whose watch these frauds occurred and who aided and abetted these fraudulent practices must be punished.
President Bola Tinubu who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, gave these directives at the 2024 Civil Service Award and Gala Night to mark the 2024 Civil Service Week.
“While I was away in South Africa, I monitored some of the activities and especially read the shocking revelation by the Head of Service about hundreds of workers who had relocated abroad, without formally resigning their appointments and who were drawing salaries from the treasury, for years”, the President said.
“Although, the Head of Service said some of these fraudulent workers have been uncovered, she should not stop there. 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.
“The Nigerian Civil Service cannot just be a workplace where ‘anything is possible,’ where workers violate rules without the fear of punishment or repercussion. The civil service of any nation is too important for such delinquent behaviour to take root or be tolerated”, the President pointed out.
The President emphasised that 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 said.
“Those who say that a nation is as good as its civil service are close to the truth. You are the real establishment that remains to pilot government affairs as we politicians come and go.
“Over the decades, successive governments initiated various National Development Plans and programmes and all relied on the Civil Service to translate such plans into high-impact programmes and projects across all sectors of the nation’s economy. We expect you to do the same under our administration.
“This is why we support building, nurturing, and empowering the human capital in the service. This is why there is a paramount need to enshrine a culture of professionalism and build confidence in civil servants.
“Our administration appreciates the inherent challenges the civil service faces. I want to give you the assurance that we are committed to ensuring the welfare and development of all civil servants to deliver optimal performance for the growth of our nation.
“In the past year, I have provided all the necessary support to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to ensure the continued stability of the civil service and to implement far-reaching policies and reforms capable of improving efficiency and service delivery.
“Within the last one year of my administration, I approved the implementation of the civil service reforms in the Federal Capital Territory administration. With this development, the FCT administration now has its own civil service commission, Head of Service and six permanent secretaries. Now, the workers can aspire to reach the pinnacle of their career before retiring”, the President remarked.
President Tinubu also expressed delight that the Federal Civil Service is driving a strategic plan that is aligned to the priorities of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The Plan, I am aware, prioritizes Capacity Building and Talent Management through which well-structured training such as the LEAD-P and SMAT-P are conducted. This is in addition to structures put in place to promote a culture of innovation in the Service”, the President said.
“I commend the passion and commitment of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR to ensuring that the Service embraces the changes required to make it a World-class service that upholds meritocracy and excellence.
“I urge all the Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives to fast-track these reforms in their respective MDAs as time is of the essence in our commitment to deliver the dividends of the Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians.
“I am aware that due process must be followed in conducting government business but that should not give room for any form of red-tapes or insistence on unnecessary bureaucracies”, the President warned.