Workers staying abroad drawing salaries must refund the money, supervisors punished – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has vowed to ensure that federal civil servants who relocated abroad and continue to draw salaries must refund the money and heads of their departments punished for aiding and abetting such behaviours.

The president gave the orders at the annual “Awards and Gala Night” to mark this year’s civil service week, in Abuja, on Saturday night.

“During my recent visit to South Africa, I learnt that civil servants have relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning. “It is heartening to hear that measures have been taken to address this issue, but we must ensure those responsible are held accountable and restitution is made.

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“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected. Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch”,

Folasade Yemi-Essn, head of the federation’s civil service, had during a recent media parley to mark this year’s civil service week, raised concern about some civil servants who have relocated abroad but are still drawing salaries.

The president also commended current efforts to groom the best and brightest brains in the federal civil service to bridge skills gaps in the public service sector, through the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (LEAD-P).

He noted that the plan ‘prioritises capacity building and talent management through which well-structured training such as the LEAD-P and SMAT-P”

This is in addition to structures put in place to promote a culture of innovation in the service.

President Tinubu lauded Folasade Yemi-Esan for her efforts in steering the reforms, aimed at creating a world-class service that upholds meritocracy and excellence.

“I am aware that due process must be followed in conducting government business but that should not give room for any form of red-tapes or insistence on unnecessary bureaucracies.

“We have pledged to work for the Nigerian people, and it is critical that all civil servants, and indeed all public servants, recognise the key role they must play in the achievement of our national potential.

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The LEAD-P is a programme developed in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025(FCSSIP 2021–2025), to identify, mentor and train about 500 future civil service leaders by the end of 2025, as a top talent training course for civil servants in Grade Level 10-14.

The office of the HoSF works in partnership with the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that has invested hugely in the training and re-training of the workforce to ensure efficient service delivery to the citizenry.

BusinessDay gathered that participants, who are mainly civil servants are required to undergo an eight-week internship in a private sector organisation, to gain experience in efficient work processes, organisational values, ethics, innovation, and effective management styles.