http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/38233-28-000-fed-govt-workers-to-go.html

The Federal Government is planning to sack no fewer than 28,000 federal civil servants to trim the existing high recurrent expenditure in the yearly federal budget.

A top government official saddled with the task disclosed this to The Nation yesterday. The source said that the yearly budget can no longer absorb the staff strength in the public service.

The official said the exercise, which is expected to be carried out next year, would affect only civil servants who are considered to be unproductive and who do not add value to service delivery.

According to the source, who heads a strategic organ of the federal civil service, "the structure of the Nigerian budget can no longer accommodate the current unwieldy number of civil servants in government employment across the nation".

He attributed the difficulty in operating the federal budget to the over-bloated recurrent component of the budget, especially personnel.

Justifying the impending mass sack, the official added that the demands by university lecturers, doctors and the entire civil service have stretched available resources to a breaking point.

He pointed out that it was for this reason the Federal Government was forced to cut its recurrent budget for 2012 by two per cent; from 74 per cent to 72 per cent, a cut whic, he said, has resulted in government saving about N200 billion.

The source, however, stated that the government would be extra careful in the handling of the exercise, saying that it would come in phases to avoid possible social and economic dislocation.

The government, the source said, does not want thousands of workers on the streets at a go to avoid having another civil unrest on its hands. ‘’But those saying we should cut recurrent expenditure should not forget that we have to sack workers," he added.

"Mass sack is inevitable but we will go into it with a lot of sense and tact. Workers who are not adding value will certainly have to go, he added. Already, a committee headed by a former Head of Service of the Federation Mr Steve Oronsanye has been put in place with a mandate to trim and reform the federal civil service. The committee is said to have started the necessary groundwork on the exercise.

To guard against a repeat of the dislocations and endless litigations thrown up by a similar exercise carried out by the Obasanjo administration a few years ago, the source said government will attempt to review the existing civil service laws, which do not allow mass sacking of workers.

According to him, the laws will be reviewed so that those affected will not go to court. "Many of those that were laid off in that exercise simply went to court and today they are back to their jobs," the source added.

Another source in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) also confirmed the planned reduction in the number of civil servants. The source said: "At present, there are 78 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) but we expect another five MDAs by March and by April this number will rise to 98."

The first step in the mass purge, the AGF source said, will be the harmonisation of all the existing MDAs under the Integrated Payroll and PersonnelInformation System (IPPIS). The source, however,identified the major problem with the IPPIS as that of connectivity but added that the office of the AGF has started working with Galaxy Backbone, another government agency, to address the problem.

The source assured that all the MDAs will be captured on IPPIS by the end of this year with a significant reduction in government’s payroll.

The AGF source also explained that the Pension Task Force put in place by the Federal Government recovered about N74 billion, stressing that further recoveries are being expected.

The Age of Austerity - GEJ and Okonjo-Iweala are evil servants of the devil (The West)

28,000 increase in unemployment - I wish cancer upon both of them!

They should start with all those special assistants, ministers etc. They are unproductive.

blank:

They should start with all those special assistants, ministers etc. They are unproductive.

Correct! supported. Let them start from their offices and also scrap that unconstitutional office of the first lady.

Start with useless political appendages like PA to d special adviser.

Even if you get sacked and you get home without light, just bring a bench out and enjoy the best of fresh air

#AusterityMadness

This is not good but the truth is that there are so many redundants in the ministries.I heard that a some directors in ministries and parastatals have up to six secretaries.What the hell is one person doing with six secretaries?

they should start with those ministers first.People are complaining of wat has been done in the past and yet without any reasonable change they want to go ahead and sack those people without any provision/substitute to cater for them and their families.BUNCH OF BASTARDS AND IDIOTIC OFFICERS. The problem they have coursed is not enough and they want to add more.

wicked Mofo

Thank God, I am not a civil servant.

What is the job of a civil servant?

Demdem:

agreed, it should start from there but we must also accept the fact that there are so many redundant civil servants out there.

What do you mean by redundant civil servants? The government needs to purge its cabinet of redundancy first. Cut down on the Billions used on feeding allowance and travelling allowance.
You will realise that, there will be enough money to pay times two the current size of civil servants.

There is overlooting and stealing in high places, there is a need to pull down the high places you will see that there is excess money in this country.

If you mass sack what will their family be eating. BARAWOs!!!!!!!!!

It is a tough action that will bring pain to some, but the civil service is an avenue of waste and ghost workers. It needs to be trimmed down.
The fact is that many have seen govt as the only source of livelihood, which is a direct result of the unitary system we deceive ourselves is federalism. I don't know of any country that has so many federal civil servants (in most countries they are employed mainly by states and LG's).

It is obvious that we have reached the limits of what is possible from oil alone, somethings gotta give without the states and LG's chipping in.

One of the worst things that can happen to a man is to lose his job.I remember when I lost my job at PZ Industries in 2002.It took the grace of God for me to survive the shock.My advice for every salary earner: Start a busines now and sack your boss rather than waiting until your boss fires you.There is self-satisfaction in managing your own business.Click the link on my signature for tips.

100% in support! Most of the so-called civil servants are idle mofos who adore resuming their respective work place very late in the morning (11 am) and close very early, usually around 2 pm in the afternoon. What are they even paid for?

They should all go back home and continue playing LUDO, DRAFT or MONOPOLY games. Unproductive corrupt stinking parasites!!

Although i agree with the article, but let them lead by example by cutting down the allowances of office holders, then check the cases of ghost workers in all areas of government establishments, then they can go ahead with the cutting down and merging of ministries, and if people lose jobs in the process, so be it. In short our problem is just corruption. If we want Nigeria to survive, then we have to fight it with all determination and political will.

Removal of civil service subsidy.
Next is ?

Beaf:

It is a tough action that will bring pain to some, but the civil service is an avenue of waste and ghost workers. It needs to be trimmed down.
The fact is that many have seen govt as the only source of livelihood, which is a direct result of the unitary system we deceive ourselves is federalism. I don't know of any country that has so many federal civil servants (in most countries they are employed mainly by states and LG's).
It is obvious that we have reached the limits of what is possible from oil alone, somethings gotta give without the states and LG's chipping in.

Federal government is the largest single employer in United States after United States Postal Service which can also be regarded as a federal institution. Fact. Google is your friend

pathetic!

Wouldn't be bad if 80% of ministers,advisers and ad-hoc committee chairmen will join the retrenchment

m friend is a federal civil servant. i once visited their office and guess what? all the staff i saw were outside discussing non official issues. I later asked him what he does and he told me that there was nothing to do for that day again. I was there for three hours and no official assignment was given to them. Infact we even left office to go and take some drinks. that was the day i swore i will never get myself into civil service job as it will wreck any body that wants to build a good future

who are they laying off? If laying off the ghost workers will give way for unemployed gradustes, Ok. Bt if it will also make them be replaced by family relatives , ? More industries are needed to help the teeming unemployed gradute youth. They need to act fast,

Nigeria is a funny country. When a similar retrenchment was carried out some years ago, it was the honest, hardworking, dedicated and incorruptible workers that were laid off because they didn't have godfathers in the ministries. Those so called redundant workers are the ones they will retain because they get godfathers among the politicians, permanent secretaries, emirs and co. How do redundant workers get recruited? Look at this case, an Emir from north took some guys to the Speaker for job in one of the parastatals, they approached the DG and he told them that there was no vacancy there. The Emir insisted that they must create offices for the eight of them. Today, those guys are collecting salary from the federal government under that parastatal. Now if they want to sack redundant workers in that parastatal, do you think they will touch the Emir candidates?

Thought they promised 370,000 jobs?

You really can't please everyone. We have been calling for a leaner, less expensive federal government. Just wondering what we all thought that meant when we were crying for it? ? ? ? ?

It is a tough action that will bring pain to some, but the civil service is an avenue of waste and ghost workers. It needs to be trimmed down.
The fact is that many have seen govt as the only source of livelihood, which is a direct result of the unitary system we deceive ourselves is federalism. I don't know of any country that has so many federal civil servants (in most countries they are employed mainly by states and LG's).

It is obvious that we have reached the limits of what is possible from oil alone, somethings gotta give without the states and LG's chipping in.

STFU clown!! I wish I can see you and slap the shit out of you, bastard.

Why can't Badluck trim down "entourage", special advisers, ministers - and reduce his allocation?? Just because you feed on crumbs PDP give, doesn't mean you should sell your birth right, idot.

what is nigeria turning into, cant believe dis is coming frm the federal government

I believe it's the Bible said "charity begins at home", if President CANNOT slash his cabinet and their exorbitant expenditures, if he can't use order to reduce waste within the Federal agencies, then why laying off people. I thought layoff was the last option exercised AFTER ALL SAID AND ACTUALLY DONE, but it seems backwards to me. Meanwhile, NASS is taking home about 8% of 2012 budget which is about $170million, YET he hasn't challenged them nor had a budget standoff with them, IN FACT, he accepted it hook,line and sinker and now it's lay off. I pity Nigeria o, we sure have a long way to go.