Bayelsa State Government has asked its workforce to brace up for the
global economic challenge, as the practice of augmenting monthly salary
with bank loans is not sustainable.
With a monthly wage bill of N4 billion for workers coupled with the
shortfall in the monthly allocation from the Federation Account of between
N3 to N4 billion, the State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson said it would
be difficult for government to meet its financial obligation.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Yenagoa, Dickson said his
administration would meet with stakeholders towards devising a policy
aimed at solving the problem of salary payment in the state.
According to him, steps are already being taken to sanitize the civil
service with the aim of blocking wastages and loopholes to ensure greater
productivity and effective service delivery.
Dickson said, “There have to be some discussions with workers and
stakeholders. We cannot be borrowing to pay salaries as we have been
doing. Our workforce minus political appointees, we need about N4 billion
to pay salaries; the situation is not sustainable and realistic because of
our development agenda.
While allaying fears of workers, the Governor assured that rather than
embark on retrenchment of the workforce and the minimum wage, greater
emphasis will be placed on professionalism in the civil service in his
second term.
He said, “A lot of states are going to have crisis this year, even the
federation itself will face crisis and it’s not peculiar to Bayelsa
state. It is important that the workforce in Bayelsa State should learn
to appreciate these things before they jump here and there instigated by
failed politicians who couldn’t win election but know how to sponsor
demonstrations of old pensioners that they couldn’t pay when they were in
office.”
While admonishing civil servants in the state against unwholesome
practices such as involvement in partisan politics, payroll fraud and
multiple employments, the Governor called on workers to be dedicated to
their duties and loyal to the government of the day.
“There are a lot of things going on; people have their names in several
vouchers, earning salaries above their grade level and all of those
things are going to be corrected. I don’t also believe that we should
reduce the minimum wage but if our government is getting N3 or N4 billion
and our wage bill is N4 billion, then there should be a discussion. I
don’t believe that we need to retrench workers because of the economic
downturn.
The governor added that any civil servant found culpable of contravening
the civil service rules would be made to face disciplinary measures.
Dickson expressed his administration’s intention to bequeath a
depoliticised civil service.