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Verification or no verification, pay all retired, serving civil servants – new Borno Governor
By Abdullahi Isah, MAIDUGURI
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state has ordered that bio metric verification or no verification, that all retired or serving civil servants in the state should be paid their salaries and pensions that have been lingering for over three years now.
He .ordered permanent secretaries, heads of boards and parastatals to immediate compile the list of their staff for payment and settlement of all outstanding salaries and pension arrears of all civil servants who have undergone bio metric data capture or are yet to do so before the Eid -El Fitr sallah celebrations.
Professor Zulum gave the directive when the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Bulama Abiso led other executive members on a solidarity/courtesy call on him at the Government House, Maiduguri on Thursday. He said “Civil servants are the engine room of good governance, and so, with or without Bio Metric Data, all those affected must be paid with immediate effect”.
It will be recalled, that former Governor Kashim Shettima for over three years introduced the controversial bio metric data capture or verification of all civil servants which led to stoppage of salary payments of thousands of civil servants who were directly or indirectly affected.
“For now, I am not interested in anything called Bio Metric Data, but to see that even if it is a table payment, all those affected in the exercise should be paid pending when they are found to be guilty of collecting different salaries in the name of ghost workers.
The governor directed all Permanent Secretaries in the ministries and heads of Government Parastatals/Boards/Agencies to immediately compile the list of their affected staff/pensioners and bring same to his table on or before Monday June 3, 2019 for approval and payment before the forthcoming Sallah.
“For now, I am not interested in anything called Bio Metric Data, but to see that even if it is a table payment, all those affected in the exercise should be paid pending when they are found to be guilty of collecting different salaries in the name of ghost workers,” the governor sad.
Professor Zulum further said “As government, we cannot allow some of our civil servants affected by the bio metric data to continue to suffer without paying their entitlements. These affected civil servants/pensioners have families to cater for, and we cannot allow this to continue as posterity will judge us.”
He said “although, we will not tolerate ghost worker syndrome in the state, because anyone found guilty of such will definitely face the full wrath of the law.”
“So, I directed all Permanent Secretaries in the ministries and heads of Government Parastatals/Boards/Agencies to immediately compile the list of their respective affected staff/pensioners, bring it on my table on or before Monday 3rd June, 2019 for approval and payment before the forthcoming Sallah”, he added.
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Earlier, the NLC Chairman, Abiso had thanked the Governor for considering the sufferings of their affected colleagues as a result of the lingering Bio Metric Data issue which has lasted for over three years and left many affected Civil Servants/Pensioners living from hand to mouth without being paid their monthly salaries or allowances.
He pledged the full support and cooperation of the NLC to the new government in order to move the state forward.
