By C. Perera, JadeTimes News
When individuals leave their jobs, it's expected that their salaries would cease. However, several former Nigerian civil servants have managed to find employment elsewhere, sometimes in different countries, while still receiving their wages from their previous positions. This issue has caught the attention of President Bola Tinubu, who last week ordered a crackdown. He stated, "The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected."
One such individual, Sabitu Adams , left Nigeria two years ago and now works as a taxi driver in the UK. Despite not resigning from his junior official position at a government agency, he continues to receive his monthly salary of 150,000 naira. Adams is unconcerned about losing this salary, considering it an empty threat from Tinubu, as he earns significantly more driving a taxi.
Adams admits he didn't resign to keep his return option open. "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," he said.
This phenomenon isn't isolated. Over 3.6 million Nigerians have relocated abroad in the past two years, driven by poor job prospects and the naira's collapse. This trend, referred to as "japa" reflects young Nigerian's pursuit of better opportunities overseas.
President Tinubu, struck by reports of civil servants drawing salaries while abroad, has called for these funds to be repaid and for those involved to be investigated. He emphasized, "Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch."
Adams revealed his continued payments were facilitated by his department, noting, "I had a good understanding with my boss and he just let me leave." In many cases, salaries are split between the absent worker and their supervisor, but Adams’s situation was straightforward as his boss was a relative.
"Ghost working" remains a significant issue in Nigeria, with many non existent workers still on the payroll despite crackdowns. This is the first major acknowledgment of employees moving abroad yet continuing to receive salaries. Auwal Yakasai, a retired finance director at Kano state's information ministry, noted he had heard of such cases but never caught anyone directly.
Since taking office in May last year, Tinubu has pledged to reduce governance costs and eliminate waste. He has ordered a 60% reduction in official entourages to events. However, critics argue that Tinubu's administration is long on promises but short on action, pointing to plans for expensive new planes and residences for top officials as contradictory to his cost cutting claims.
Tinubu has yet to detail specific measures to address the issue of "ghost workers" abroad, raising questions about the effectiveness of his proposed crackdown.