The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has commended Governor Umo Eno for initiating a physical verification exercise for civil servants, which has so far uncovered over 2,000 ghost workers within the state’s civil service.
This disclosure was made by the State Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Alpha Marshall, during a telephone interview on XL106.9FM’s “Super Breakfast Show, The Talk,” on Tuesday in Uyo.
According to Comrade Marshall, the verification exercise confirmed that a little over 51,700 civil servants had been verified, compared to the initial record of 55,120 workers on file prior to the exercise. He further emphasized that the process was seamless, transparent, and well-coordinated.
The NLC Secretary revealed that a final report of the exercise is ready and will soon be submitted to Governor Eno. He added that arrangements are being made to reschedule a verification process for workers who faced issues such as mismatched details on their National Identification Number (NIN). However, this rescheduled exercise will not delay the submission of the report to the Governor.
While hailing Governor Eno as a “promise keeper,” Comrade Marshall expressed confidence that the Governor would fulfill his pledge to pay civil servants the new minimum wage of N80,000 once the report is reviewed.
It would be recalled that Governor Umo Eno had promised to implement the N80,000 minimum wage for public workers immediately after the completion of the verification exercise. The commitment, made last year, is part of the Governor’s efforts to prioritize the welfare of civil servants in the state.
The discovery of ghost workers highlights the success of the exercise in streamlining the workforce and ensuring that public funds are allocated efficiently to genuine employees.
