President Bola Tinubu has recently ordered a crackdown on the fraudulent practice of former Nigerian civil servants continuing to receive salaries even after leaving their jobs and working in other countries.
Among those identified is Sabitu Adams, a 36-year-old Nigerian taxi driver in the UK, who still receives a monthly salary of 150,000 naira ($100; £80) from his previous junior official position in Nigeria despite relocating in 2022. Adams remains unperturbed by the President's directives, as his UK income surpasses his Nigerian pay.
Civil society organizations have expressed outrage over this issue, emphasizing the need for stringent measures to restore accountability and effectiveness within the Nigerian civil service.
They have called for the prosecution of those involved in unauthorized salary payments and urged the government to take decisive action to address this deep-rooted corruption.
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, raised alarm over the pervasive corruption and lack of accountability within Nigeria's civil service, stating that the bastardization of the system has undermined its effectiveness.
He called for a comprehensive audit of workers and urged that those involved in these corrupt practices be held accountable.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, criticized the dereliction of duty by civil service leaders and called for accountability from heads of agencies, departments, and key officials..
He stressed the importance of maintaining attendance registers and job performance records as references for salary processing and suggested that those who aided such practices should be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission for proper investigation and prosecution.
