By: Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Gombe State Government has inducted over 400 personnel recently recruited to handle it’s biometric attendance machines for all civil servants in the State.
According to the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manasseh Daniel Jatau, who represented Governor Inuwa Yahaya at the event, the biometric system was not introduced to witch-hunt Civil Servants.
On the contrary, he said it was part of the administration’s policy of reforming the civil service and sanitise it to make it more efficient and productive.
The 400 Biometric Attendance Supervisors (BAS), are expected to oversee the operations of over 4,000 Biometric Attendance Machines installed in various State and Local Government offices across the State.
The Deputy Governor noted that since the introduction of the biometric system in October 2021, the State has consistently saved over 23 million naira monthly, totaling over 1.4 billion naira at the last count.
He also explained that the savings are part of what is being allocated towards settling the backlog of gratuity at both the State and Local Government levels.
“Our goal is to identify ghost workers, facilitate employment opportunities for genuine workers, and improve overall productivity within the service,” he stressed.
Malam Muhammad Gambo Magaji, the State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development said, as a direct result of implementing the biometric system, Gombe State has successfully obtained a $4 million grant from the World Bank’s SFTAS programme.
He also revealed that the introduction of the biometric system, along with other initiatives, has positioned Gombe State as the top-ranking state in Nigeria for Payroll Management.
In their separate remarks, the Head of Service, Alhaji Ahmed Kasimu Abdullah, the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, Hajia Rabi Shu’aibu Jimeta, and the Accountant General of the State, Dr. Aminu Umar Yuguda, emphasized the significance of the biometric system.
Representative of the Gombe State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adamu Garba, called on all the civil servants to cooperate for the success of theexercise.
“We appreciate the Governor for decreasing the number of unemployed persons in Gombe State through his various initiatives”, Comrade said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Biometric Programme Consultant, Dr. Isma’il Musa Jibrin, explained that the system is designed to promote fairness and accountability, guaranteeing that no worker is unfairly penalized as every diligent civil servant will continue to receive their monthly renumeration.
