Buhari Vows To Punish Civil Servants Over Illegal Recruitment

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to severely punish anybody in the public service that is involved in over-bloating the federal government workforce through illegal recruitment and cover-up of ghost workers.

 

President Buhari who spoke at the 3rd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector, organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), complained that illegal recruitments and ghost workers syndrome had bloated the workforce leading to unnecessary high cost of governance which was impacting the economy negatively.

 

The President further decried the duplication of projects by Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in the annual national budget which had become a strain on the revenue of the federal government, adding that heads of such MDAs will be sanctioned.

 

Buhari expressed delight that both the legislative and judicial arms of government were under spotlight on managing the cost of governance, maintaining that governance was a collective responsibility, not just the responsibility of the executive arm.

 

He also explained how his government had reduced the cost of governance by focusing on abandoned and ongoing projects which were started by previous administrations.

 

He however noted that from the findings of ICPC, some MDAs have devised dubious means of presenting new projects as ongoing ones, carrying out illegal recruitment, padding their payroll and sustaining ghost workers.

 

He said, “Those who illegally bring in personnel into the public service and conceal ghost workers must be and will be severely punished.

 

“We have ensured that MDAs do not put forward new capital projects at the expense of on-going projects. Government has noted through ICPC that some MDAs have devised a fraudulent practice of presenting old projects as on-going projects. Sanctions will be meted out to the heads of such errant MDAs. I have confidence that ICPC will continue to maintain the vigilance required.”

 

Earlier, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN in his speech at the occasion, observed that illegal recruitments into the public service was fueling high cost of governance.

 

He said, “ICPC investigation of some cases of illegal recruitment forwarded to us by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has so far implicated the Ministry of Labour, and University College Hospital, Ibadan and a number of corrupt staff of other MDAs at a lower level.

 

“This abuse of power is consummated with complicity of compromised elements in IPPIS. These cases are currently under investigation.”