By Yunusa Isa, Gombe
The Gombe State Civil Service Commission has commenced an eight week physical verification exercise for over 7,000 civil servants to sanitize the service and come up with a comprehensive digital database.
Speaking at the flag off of the exercise in Gombe, the commission’s chairperson Hajiya Rabi Shu’aibu Jimeta, said “Over time, concerns have been raised regarding the integrity of personnel records, cases of officers overstaying beyond their statutory retirement age or length of service, and inadequate data on staff deployment, secondment, leave of absence, as well as existing directorates and vacancies across Ministries, Departments and Agencies”.
She noted that for transparency, efficiency, and optimal utilisation of human resources, there is a compelling need to conduct the verification exercise, noting that “This exercise was never meant to witch-hunt anyone, but to authenticate personnel records, identify irregularities, and provide a reliable database of civil servants for informed decision-making”.
She revealed that absence of an up-to-date and verified personnel record poses a significant challenge to effective manpower planning and management in the state.
“Ghost workers, overstay in service, and unaccounted personnel on secondment or leave of absence creating unnecessary wage bill burdens and hinder equitable distribution of human resources”, Rabi added.
While noting that the screening exercise will cover both junior and senior care officers, the chairperson said judicial staff, medical personnel and teachers are exempted.
Speaking on the gains of the exercise, Hajiya Rabi noted that it will improve payroll integrity and reduce wastages, strengthen discipline, transparency, and accountability in the Civil Service as well as support the government in strategic workforce planning.
She added that every civil servant is expected to face the verification panel with reliable documents to include Letter of First Appointment, Permanent Pensionable Appoint letter, Birth Certificate or Age Declaration, Personal Subhead Number (PSN) and Last Promotion letter.
Others include Posting/Deployment letter, Evidence of secondment or leave of absence approval, original copies of qualifications, Local Government Indigene Certificate, Staff identification card, BVN and NIN Slips.
Speaking to newsmen, the Chairman Nigeria Labour Congress Gombe State Chapter Comrade Yusuf Aish Bello, described the exercise as welcome development, assuring to support it to logical conclusion.
While condemning the ghost worker syndrome, Comrade Bello said when such workers are detected, new opportunities will open for the recruitment of new generation of workers.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after being verified, some staff of the Government House expressed confidence in the exercise, with optimism that better days are ahead.