The Gombe state Government has reiterated its warning to workers in the state to refrain from absenteeism, following the full implementation of the Biometric attendance verification for civil servants.
Bappayo Yahaya, the Head of the state’s Civil Service gave the warning in Gombe, on Thursday.
Mr Yahaya, who is also the chairman of the Committee on the Gombe state Integrated Payroll Payment Gateway and Human Resource Management System responsible for the biometric attendance, stated that there was no going back on the implementation of the biometric attendance.
He stated that some of the challenges regarding pensions and gratuities were traceable to the issue of ghost workers, hence the use of the software to clean up the system and ensure that only genuine workers were being paid.
“I want to advise my colleagues that we are serious. You have to come to work by 8am and close at least by 4 pm. We have been saying it, some people are taking it lightly.
“This biometric attendance is serious, it can’t work when others are coming to work and you refuse to come and expect us to pay you. It will not be business as usual.
“You must come to work, if you don’t want, just resign and go anywhere you want, you are free, but no worker will remain in this service and do what they like. Everyone must have to abide by the rule,’’ he stated.
On his part, the state Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr Muhammad Magaji, said three council areas of the State had so far been captured in the biometric payroll system.
“Kwami Local Government Area was captured in the biometric system in the month of April, currently, the state is enrolling Yamaltu-Deba council into the biometric payroll system and the next council area will be Billiri which would bring the total number so far captured to four”, he said.
He also stated that for the month of April, “the total suspension from the payroll for the month of May is 431 workers and the total savings from that suspension is N27, 114, 674.’’
Magaji added that 691 staff were being investigated to ascertain why they had insufficient attendance amounting to N62, 888,621 for the month of April.
On his part, Bappayo Abdulmumuni, Vice Chairman, Gombe state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, stated that the union was in support of the biometric attendance, as the union was opposed to absenteeism from work.
Mr Abdulmumuni, who is also a member of the committee, said since the implementation of the biometric system, the NLC had not received any complaints from any worker.
He urged anyone with a genuine reason for not showing up at work, which resulted in their suspension, to approach it for justice and fairness.
NAN
