Okowa charges NUT to support Govt to fish out ghost workers

———–By Unue Emeka,———-

Governor of Delta State Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has urged stakeholders especially Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and other labour organization to support his administration quest of fishing out ghost and absconded worker in the state.

Governor Okowa made this call Wednesday, in Asaba when the executive of the NUT, Delta State chapter led by Comrade Titus Okotie paid him a courtesy visit, said that it was wrong for people to be receiving salaries for work not done.

“Of recent, the Post Primary Education Chairman in his recent visit to some schools in Warri and Ughelli metropolis, discovered names of over 140 teachers who have absconded but, still receives salaries, some for up to two years; we need the cooperation of everybody to fish out these ghost and absconded workers.

“If you know that they are ghost teachers in your school, as a Principal or a teacher, you need to bring it to our attention as they are increasing the workload of other teachers and still collecting salaries for work not done,” he said.

According to Okowa “if only those who work are being paid, there will be more money to pay workers and do other things; someone who has absconded should not be receiving salaries and we have discovered that there are some persons who are outside the country but, are receiving salaries, we have also, discovered names of some dead civil servants that are still on our payroll, that should not be and we seek the cooperation of everybody for us to get it right.”

Reacting to allegations by the NUT that teachers were being downgraded, the governor disclosed that it was discovered that some graduates applied for civil service jobs as clerical assistants and within less than two years of their employment, they tender their degree certificates and were recognized as such without following due process.

He stated, “there are principles people were engaged in the civil service and we found out that those principles were breached, if you are employed as a clerical officer and you have a certificate as a graduate, you should be ready to progress as a clerical officer, not that after two years, you want to be recognized and paid as a graduate without following due process; we are carrying out biometric exercise to ensure that things are streamlined in the civil service bearing in mind that we are to serve all Deltans.”

The Governor emphasized that his administration would employ workers, especially, teachers when the number of teachers and the need to employ more have been ascertained, using the occasion to disclose that money has been released for the payment of pensioners and that will be done monthly.

He congratulated the new leadership of the NUT, assuring that his administration would continue to meet with the needs of workers, especially that of teachers in the state.

Earlier, Comrade Okotie thanked the Governor for using his good offices to improve on the welfare of teachers pledging the support of teachers to the delivery of the SMART agenda of the government.