PeakNews Online
A British Broadcasting Corporation report has further exposed the corruption in Nigerian civil service, detailing how persons who resigned from their jobs in Nigeria and travelled to the United Kingdom in search of greener pastures, are still being paid their salaries in Nigeria.
The BBC spoke to a taxi driver in the UK who confessed that his salaries and emoluments were still running several months after leaving the Nigerian civil service job and relocated abroad.
The BBC said it contacted one Sabitu Adams (not real name) who confessed that he is still in the employment of the Nigerian Civil Service, as he has not resigned his position as a junior official at a government agency and still gets paid each month, despite leaving Nigeria two years ago.
Sabitu it was learnt, now works as a taxi driver in the UK, but told the BBC that he was not worried about losing the salary as he sees President Tinubu’s comments as an empty threat.
President Tinubu had last week ordered a crackdown, saying that civil servants who relocated abroad but are still drawing salaries from federal coffers must refund the money.
Mr Adams explained that the loss of his monthly Nigerian salary of 150,000 naira ($100; £80) would not bring hardship, as he earns a lot more driving a taxi.
“When I heard about the president’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried,” the 36-year-old said.
But why not make it clear to the civil service that he had left?
“To be honest I didn’t resign because I wanted to leave that door open in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years.”
Like Mr Adams, more than 3.6 million Nigerians have relocated to other countries over the last two years, according to official statistics.
Many young Nigerians see little prospect of earning a good living in the country – a feeling exacerbated by the collapse in the value of the naira over the past year following the reforms introduced by Mr Tinubu since he became president.
