Japa: UK-based driver remains on FG payroll two years after relocation abroad

Civil organisations are calling for the reform of the civil service after a report on Sunday revealed that a Nigerian man who relocated to the United Kingdom in 2022 has remained on the payroll of the Federal Government ever since.

It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu last week ordered a crackdown on civil servants who were still collecting salaries despite migrating abroad.

“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected,” he said.

However, the BBC on Sunday reported that a 36-year-old Nigerian civil servant, referred to as Sabitu Adams (not real name),  who moved to the United Kingdom in 2022,  was still collecting the salary of a civil servant.

According to the report, despite working as a taxi driver in the UK, Adams disclosed to the BBC that he continues to receive N150,000 monthly from the government job in Nigeria due to an understanding with his boss.

He said, “When I heard about the President’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried.”

When asked why he did not resign after relocating, he said he thought he might still return to his job after spending some years abroad.

“To be honest, I didn’t resign because I wanted to leave that door open in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years,” he said.

Commenting on the case of the UK-based driver, civil society organisations emphasised the need for stringent measures to restore accountability and effectiveness within the civil service.

They called for the prosecution of those involved in unauthorised salary payments and urged the government to take decisive action to address this corruption.

The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, told the Punch that corruption in the civil service had reached alarming proportions requiring urgent action.

Musa stated, “I think the lack of accountability in governance is the crux of the matter because if people who are not supposed to collect salaries are still collecting, it can mean that some people are coordinating to short-change the nation.

“This can only happen because of the bastardisation of the civil service system. Everything is corrupted. A lot of people are getting these salaries and allowances without appearing in the office. I think corruption has undermined the effectiveness of the civil service in Nigeria,” he said.

Musa called for a comprehensive audit of workers and urged that those involved in these corrupt practices be held accountable.

Similarly, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, criticised the dereliction of duty by civil service leaders.

He stated, “It is an admission of dereliction of duty and it is enough for the Head of the Civil Service to be fired because it is her job to ensure that every civil servant is at his duty post at every particular time.

“They should supervise the supervisors, oversee the functioning of each officer, and render a performance index at the end of every day. The buck stops on her desk.”

He also said those who aided corrupt practices should be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission for proper investigation and prosecution.