There is confusion, fear and disenchantment among civil servant in Delta state, following an unusual turn in the screening and biometric exercise intended to check ghost workers in the state.The development has caused workers to call for the discontinuance of the consultancy contract, though many had passed through the exercise in the state.
Investigations have revealed that while the primary motive for the exercise, which is detecting ghost workers, has received some results, civil servants of all levels have had their salaries, either withheld for flimsy excuses, or their names deleted from the pay roll, a development which has led to delay in the payment of salaries of some workers.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state inherited the consultants from former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan
Further investigation revealed that those who have been enjoying higher grades as a result of acquisition of higher certificates, especially primary and secondary school teachers in the state have been downgraded on excuse of over promotion or breach of service rules in their promotion exercise.
This issue was one of what led to the strike action embarked upon by teachers under the auspices of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT). The strike lasted for two weeks, schools resumed on Monday, March 27, 2017 after the two weeks industrial action.
READ ALSO: BREAKING! Dino Melaye graduated with third class in Geography – ABU VC (photos)
However, senior civil servants, particularly those charged with responsibilities of preparing salaries and updates, have blamed the development on the biometric consultants, Herckerbella, and one Mr. Nwuzu, a retired director in the Pre-Audit unit and now government-appointed consultant to oversee workers grades, promotions and earnings in the service.
Sources close to the government alleged that Nwuzu, who retired about a year ago, was consulted to work in the audit and salary sections to clear what the consultants termed anomalies in salaries and promotions.
But his colleagues in the government are already accusing him of overzealousness, as what he called anomalies had been there while he was still in the service as a director.
Civil servants and teachers are also accusing Herckerbella of the discrepancies in the payment of the January and February 2017 salaries of workers, whereby an estimated number of more than 7,000 workers did not receive their salaries on time.
Former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan contracted the firm for workers verification in the state
It was learnt that Herkebella allegedly created human errors in the payment system in order to extend their tenure as consultants to the Delta state government.
Sources close to Delta Government House, Asaba, where Herckerbella has its operational office, informed ZENITHBLOG.com that the consultants had completed their screening long ago but were allegedly creating loopholes, victimizing civil servants and teachers and reversing policies implemented years before the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
According to the sources, the consultants recently invited some workers to correct their Biometric Verification Numbers (BVN) as sent from the banks, only to be denied their salaries based on incorrect BVNs.
In addition, after workers had provided their ages and photographs taken by the consultants, they were still not paid because of errors in age or certificates, even as it was discovered that some workers had had different ages in their service records and their bank accounts.
READ ALSO: Local refineries to get recognition from federal government
Moreover, some of the BVN records in banks indicated that some workers, who were denied salaries, were born in 2017, 2020, 1920, thus bastardizing the activities of Herckerbella, since they were contracted.
On the case of Mr. Nwuzu, the sources said that most of the mistakes he was pointing out now were there during his tenure as director, but he ignored them with intent to return as a consultant, after retirement.
While he has warmed up his heart to the governor and doing the work that the director in the audit department was supposed to be doing, the latter is reportedly sitting idly in the office doing little or nothing.
“At the end of every month, both consultants smile home with millions of naira, being what civil servants would have earned,” the source stated.
But when our correspondent visited the office of Herkerbella that is situated in the state government house to confirm the issues raised by civil servants against the consulting firm and Mr. Nwuzu, officials on ground turned down the request to verify claims by the state civil servants.
Our correspondent spent three days visiting the consulting firm but meeting excuses and reasons why the firm cannot speak on the issues raised by civil servants in the state. This is even as our correspondent laid bare the issues in a written form as demanded by the firm.
0naze
No comments:
Post a Comment