Civil servants in Bayelsa State who went on unapproved study leave will not get their salaries as the governor, Seriake Dickson, Thursady directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the Head of Service (HoS) to expunge from the state’s payroll the names civil servants on full-time study leave without approval.
A statement by Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor gave the directive when the Establishment Committee submitted its report at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The committee was reportedly set up to verify the actual staff strength and wage bill of the state government between 2007 and 2015.
Dickson decried the wastages and loopholes in public service, saying the development constituted a major drain in the finances of the state.
The governor hailed the committee for doing a good job.
He said: “Let me assure the state that we are going to do justice to absenteeism. Workers in this state, who are collecting salaries without going to work have been bleeding our state for this period.
“I believe the time has come to end all of that, particularly now that every naira and kobo coming into this state is important; now that we have dwindling revenues. This is the time to block all wastages and loopholes.
“While we will try our best to fulfill our obligations and liabilities to our workforce, especially those who are doing their jobs, government, from now on, will utilise the instrument of this report to ensure that those bad eggs are fished out.
“We are happy that so many people in the public service are desirous of improving themselves and are now going to schools.
“But the directive I give today, here and now as implementation of the report, is that the Head of Service and the SSG should liaise with the Civil Service Commission and ensure that names of those who are in schools on full-time studies should be properly identified and taken out of our payrolls.”
Establishment Committee Chairman Francis Doukpola said the number of staff strength as at last December, was 14,669, out of which 13,936 names were verified, while those not verified were 730.
