Gombe State Government has recruited over 400 personnel Biometric Attendance Supervisors (BAS) to oversee the operation of more than 4,000 machines in various state and local government offices.
The exercise is aimed at boosting productivity and efficiency in the State’s Civil Service, according to Governor Muhammadu Yahaya during the inauguration of a 1-day induction training for the supervisors.
Governor Yahaya noted that since the introduction of the biometric system in October 2021, the state government has consistently saved over 23 million naira monthly, totalling over 1.4 billion naira.
Represented by his deputy, Manassah Jatau, the Governor disclosed that the proceeds from the implementation are used to settle the backlog of gratuity at both the state and local government levels.
He said: “The issue of an uncertain number of employees at the local government council, state civil service and even the Federal Civil Service has bedevilled the governments and those in authority over the years.
“In Gombe State, attempts by previous governments to solve the riddle by way of verification year in and year out has not solved the problem. This is unacceptable, lamentable, and a clear negation of transparency, integrity and even religious teachings”.
The Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Magaji, announced that 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.”
The representative of the Gombe State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adamu Garba, commended the state government for the reforms and “consistent payment of gratuity to retired civil servants at both state and local levels.”
He affirmed that the implementation of the biometric attendance system in the state civil service is aimed at streamlining the service to enhance productivity and efficiency.
“Let me call on all the civil servants in the state to cooperate for the success of this exercise. The exercise is not meant to witch-hunt any worker. It is meant to sanitise the payroll of Gombe State and at the same time block leakages.
“It is based on the implementation of this system that these people are employed today. We appreciate the Governor for decreasing the number of unemployed persons in Gombe State through his various initiatives”, Garba said.