21st December, 2017
The Plateau Head of Service (HoS), Mr Izam Azi, has said that 10 civil servants of the state are being prosecuted in various courts for various corruption offences.
Azi told the newsmen on Thursday in Jos that the state government had zero tolerance to any form of financial or character corruption in the civil service.
“We are presently prosecuting 10 civil servants from various ministries in different courts for deeping their hands into the coffers of the state.
“Unfortunately one of them died while standing trial, leaving only nine of them to answer for their nefarious actions while in service, ’’ the head of service disclosed.
The HoS explained that four of the suspects tampered with students’ scholarship allowances of College of Nursing, Vom, running into millions of Naira, while another set of them allegedly was collecting salaries meant for a commissioner.
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Azi warned civil servants to resist any form of temptation to involve in corruption.
According to him, “civil servants are the engine room of any government and so should not be involved in any form of corrupt practices, no matter the temptation’’.
He stated that Gov. Simon Lalong’s administration had been trying its best to improve the welfare of workers as demonstrated in the prompt payment of their salaries, promotion allowances and leave grants.
“As it is today, we are not owing workers or pensioners any salary/pension arrears as the government pays when due.’’
He further disclosed that the state was in dire need of more workers to employ but that the challenge before it was funds with which to pay their salaries.
The head of service explained the situation prompted the government to set up a Task Force on Revenue, to improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
He lamented the embargo on employment for a very long time in the state which explained reason for 11,000 people applying for 1,000 jobs indicated by government.
Azi sympathised with the un-employed, whom he said had to go for the forms year in year out in anticipation that the state government would open the window for them to gain employment.
He explained that there were vacancies in the state civil service, especially Ministry of Health and Education, but that government was constrained by lack of funds.
“It is our desire to improve our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) so that it can help us pay workers salaries and open more doors for more to join the work force since we are in dire need of more workers.’’