Ghost workers: FG Expresses Concern Over N4.99trn 2023 Personnel Budget

Federal Government, yesterday, expressed concern over the increasing personnel budget which, in 2023 is N4.99 trillion, saying that going forward, the government would ensure that the monies go to the right persons.

Expressing the concern in Abuja, the Chairman of National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Ekpo Nta, stated that there are lots of infractions in the public service to the extent that some of the workers do not deserve the wages they earn.

“When I joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) we noticed a lot of infractions that have to do with public officers who decided to pay their own salaries ahead of time.

“In the course of serving on the board of National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), I met Comrade Isa Aremu on the same board and we used to discuss on how we can bring all these problems of compensation to an end. So, this battle has been on between the two of us and we decided to see an end to the recurring compensation crises in this country.

“Many industrial unrests across all sectors could have been avoided if we had had policy sessions like this.
We are beginning to prepare for the next minimum wage coming up in two years and that will also entail reviewing of pensions. For the period I am going to be in the salaries commission I will try to see that we have that five-year circle. We don’t wait and aggregate a lot of unfulfilled promises to workers. And so we are going to be very very responsive and this is the beginning of constant dialogue with workers in this country.

“I think the major outcome from what I have seen today is even the calibre of people and groups that have showed up today is that we have succeeded in getting this group to come.

“The personnel budget is online in the budget office of the federation.

You can see how much is being proposed. I do know that of 2023 is N4.99 trillion. That’s about N5 trillion. It’s been progressively increasing and so we must begin to take an interest that these monies are going to the right persons and that the persons who are earning it are in the productive sector” he said.

In his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha said that despite economic shocks arising from COVID-19, low oil production and other economic shocks, the government did not lay off or retrench workers.

It also increased duty tour allowance which was stagnated for years and it is also looking at the harmonisation of federal office salaries.

However, Mustapha, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Morris Bierri, noted that in spite of its achievements, a lot needs to be done.

The Director General of Michael Imoudu Institute of Labour Studies, Comrade Isa Aremu said that with the economic downturn, the federal government has improved minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000 adding that there’s still need for more improvements of workers’ salaries.

“We must be able to motivate the workers for productivity. Strikes are to make government return to the negotiating table” he said.