President Bola Tinubu has directed that civil servants who relocated abroad without formally resigning must refund the wages they received during the period.
The remarks was made by the President represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume at an event organised by the office of the head of the civil service of the federation (HOCSF) to mark the 2024 civil service week.
He also directed that the heads and supervisors of the departments of such workers must also be sanctioned.
Earlier in the week, Head Of The Civil Service Of The Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan said the government is making efforts to tackle workers who relocated abroad but are still on the payroll.
She, however, said that measures have been taken to address this issue.
“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected. Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” the President said.
He noted that the Civil Service cannot just be a workplace where ‘anything is possible, ‘where workers violate rules without the fear of punishment or repercussions.
“The civil service of any nation is too important for such misconduct to take root or be tolerated.
“The Civil Service is the bedrock, the engine, the locomotive of government, which is necessary for the government to deliver public goods to citizens. As politicians, we are no more than drivers of the locomotives that you provide,” he added.
