Ghost Workers: RSG Saves N2.06bn

The Rivers State Government says it has saved the sum of N2.06billion from the on-going salary verification exercise which, it said, has drastically reduced the number of ghost workers in the state civil service.
The head of Service, Barrister Samuel LongJohn, who said this at a luncheon for top government functionaries to mark the civil service week in Port Harcourt, also commended the state government for the cancellation of the tenure policy for permanent secretaries and directors in the state.
He said that the verification exercise was armed at ensuring that no civil servant is short charged while at the same time seeking to save money to improve the welfare of civil servants in the state.
The Head of Service said that since his appointment, a number of steps have been taken  to improve the service.
Some of these, according to him, include the inauguration of pension harmonization committee to fastrack the payment of pension and gratuity  to retiring civil servants, the introduction of a handbook on the codified circulars in use in the  civil service from the creation of the state to date as well as the construction of a public convenience for civil servants at the state secretariat.
Barrister LongJohn used the occasion to call on civil servants  to brace up for the  challenges ahead by increasing their out puts.
Similarly, the Rivers State Government has commended civil servants in the state for their continuous support despite the current challenges facing the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Hon George Feyii, said this during a luncheon for top government functionaries as part of activities marking the 2013 civil service week.
Hon Feyii, who was represented by the Commissioner for Housing, Mr Marshall Uwom, said that government was also delighted that the civil service week took off on a high note, and prayed for it to be sustained.
In her paper entitled: “The public service and the Age of Open Governance”, the president, Rivers /Bayelsa indigenes Association, Lagos, Chief Daba Obioha stressed the need for the introduction of Key performance indicators in the management system and processes.
She also urged the civil service commission to, as a matter of urgency, recruit or encourage strategic thinkers into the system while at the same time enforce discipline, eliminate incompetence and abrogate corruption, while those aiding corruption in the system  should be punished.