Ondo State Government said yesterday that it had stopped salary payment to 51 workers who refused to show up for the recently-concluded local government verification.
Head of Service (HoS) Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, who briefed reporters in Akure, as part of the activities marking the 2019 Public Service Week celebrations, described the affected persons as ghost workers, saying that the verification was part of government’s efforts to ensure that ghost workers were not included on the government payroll.
He praised Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for prioritising the salaries of civil servants.
“Recall that this administration inherited seven-month unpaid salaries and allowances. Within two years, the salary backlogs are almost completely cleared, leaving only a month.
“To date, all promotions have been effected and work is in progress for the 2020 promotion exercise.
“Notwithstanding the lean resources of the government, some critical recruitments have been made to boost the health sector.
“Some redeployments have also been made from other sectors to shore up the staffing positions in our schools, pending when a full-scale recruitment of teachers will be made,’’ he said.
On the Public Service Week celebrations, the HoS said that it was a yearly event agreed on by all African Union member-states in 1994, in Morroco.
Aragbaiye said a two-day programme, commencing from Tuesday (today), had been lined up for the celebration.
According to him, the theme for this year’s celebrations is “ICT and Innovative Governance: Panacea for Youth Unemployment and Migration’’.
