The Enugu state monitoring team on work attendance and productivity has directed the issuance of queries to over 164 civil servants in Ezeagu Council Area of Enugu State for absenteeism.

The government also read the riot act to civil servants in the state on being punctual at work.

The monitoring team directed the issuance of the queries when it paid an unscheduled visit to the Ezeagu Local Government headquarters on Monday.

Uche Anichukwu, the senior special assistant to Gov. Peter Mbah on external relations, gave this indication in a statement on Friday.

Mr Anichukwu said the team which was received by the council’s chief executive officer, administration, Lorita Akwuchie, paid the unscheduled visit following a video, which went viral on social media, showing the local government headquarters deserted on Friday.

This, he said, is contrary to the directive by Mr Mbah’s administration to civil servants in the state to revive productivity by working five days in a week.

According to him, the voice-over in the viral video narrated that no single staff member was found on duty, a development that has drawn the wrath of the government and the general public.

He recalled that Mr Mbah’s Administration was currently undertaking a staff audit of local government areas (LGAs) as it emerged that many of the people on the payroll, who also transit to the state pension payroll, do not come to work at all.

He noted that many others live outside the state and the country even as they draw salaries and other benefits from the local government system.

Mr Anichukwu disclosed that while taking a tour of all the offices and departments in the council headquarters, the team, led by the head of service, Kenneth Ugwu, met only 36 out of the over 200 council workers.

He listed other members of the team to include the principal secretary to the governor, Ken Chukwuegbo; chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Enugu state chapter, Ben Asogwa, and the chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Ezekiel Omeh.

“The team vowed that the acts of negligence and absence from duty without permission by the council workers will not go unpunished and reminded civil servants across the state that productivity remained the watchword in Gov. Mbah’s Administration.

“The Head of Service, Mr Ugwu, directed that queries be issued to all the council workers not found on duty.

“As you are aware, the administration is carrying out a diligent audit of local government workforce in the state. The standard is that you must not only come to work, you must also have assigned responsibilities and show proof of fulfilling them.

“We are also introducing electronic clock-in and the watchword is productivity because that is the only way to build our economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

“Every segment of the society and every arm and every organ of government must contribute their quota for that growth to be possible,” he said.

(NAN)