The Enugu state government has disclosed that it was saving about N1.2billion every month as a result of a comprehensive verification exercise that eliminated ghost workers and absentee staffers from the state’s payroll.
This revelation was made on Monday, at the annual solemn assembly of the Organised Labour, Enugu state council, held at the state secretariat, Enugu, to spiritually usher workers into the new year.
Speaking at the event, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who represented Governor Peter Mbah, commended the organised labour for sustaining the annual gathering, describing it as a noble tradition that helped workers to “start the year with the Lord.”
“We are here to celebrate your dedication and unwavering commitment as workers in Enugu state,” Onyia said. “Please continue to organise this event because it is good to start the year with God.”
He attributed the state’s growing fiscal discipline and improved performance to the commitment of civil servants, noting that Enugu state was able to generate and mobilise about N400 billion out of a projected N570billion from internally generated revenue, largely due to workers’ diligence as well as increased investments in the state.
According to him, the verification exercise carried out by the administration was deliberate and thorough, aimed at ensuring accountability and efficiency in the civil service.
“We took time to verify our workforce to fish out those who do not come to work and ghost workers. As a result of that exercise, Enugu State is now saving N1.2 billion every month,” the SSG disclosed.
On reforms in the public service, Onyia stated that promotions were now strictly performance-based, ending the old “turn-by-turn” system.
He added that Enugu now boasted of one of the best-trained and highest-quality civil services in the country, supported by continuous capacity building.
Onyia further explained that the state had fully embraced digital governance, eliminating the culture of piled-up files in offices.
He urged workers and labour leaders to always give feedback to the government on areas requiring improvement, stressing that the administration did not claim to have all the answers.
Also speaking, the Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Obodo, lamented the plight of retirees, describing it as unjust that workers who contributed to pension schemes ended up begging to receive their entitlements after retirement.
In his address, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Enugu State Council, Barrister Fabian Nwigbo, said the solemn assembly, now in its tenth year, had become an annual ritual for workers to seek divine guidance in partnering with government to deliver on its mandate.
