KADUNA: Why we’re downsizing our public service — Govt

THE El-rufai administration has explained why it decided to sack some of its workers even as many families are still struggling to eke out living in a pandemic-ravaged economy.

The government cited high wage bill which is becoming difficult for it to foot in the face of dwindling revenues.

The state government disclosed this in a statement titled, “‘Why Kaduna is right-sizing its public service,’ issued by the Special Adviser to the state Governor on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye.

The explanation became necessary following the outrage in the state after some local government workers received their disengagement letters.

The mass sacking in Kaduna State came four days after the Edo State Goveenor, Godwin Obaseki raised the alarm that Nigeria was in huge financial trouble.

Justifying its decision to lay off workers, the Kaduna State Government said what it had been receiving “from FAAC (the Federation Account Allocations Committee) since the middle of 2020, like most other sub-nationals, can barely pay salaries and overheads.’’

It said, ‘’In November 2020, the KDSG had only N162.9m left after paying salaries. That month, Kaduna State got N4.83bn from FAAC and paid N4.66bn as wages.’’

‘’In the last six months, personnel costs have accounted for between 84.97% and 96.63% of FAAC transfers received by the Kaduna State Government. In March 2021, Kaduna State had only N321m left after settling personnel costs.

The statement pointed out that ‘’that month, the state got N4.819bn from FAAC and paid out N4.498bn, representing 93% of the money received.

‘’This does not include standing orders for overheads, funding security operations, running costs of schools and hospitals, and other overhead costs that the state has to bear for the machinery of government to run, for which the state government taps into the internally generated revenue earnings,’’ it stated.

It, however, argued that the ‘’desire to pay more is a sentiment that must bow to the limits prescribed by the ability to pay.

‘’Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of the majority of the people of this state.”