BY SUNNY A. IJOMAH
Anambra State Government is intensifying efforts towards ensuring full implementation of the new minimum wage.
In view of the above, the State government under the leadership of Governor Willie Obiano has directed the screening of all the staff members in the twenty-one local government areas in the State.
The Chairman Anambra State Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Peter Egenti had on the thirtieth September 2019 commenced a local government tour which he began with the Orumba South Council headquarters and has continued making the visit to Awka South local government headquarters, the sixteenth on the roll.
Speaking during the visit which began with a courtesy call on the Transition Committee Chairman, Awka South Council Area, Mr. Leo Nwuba, Dr. Egenti, noted that the exercise was to sanitize the local government system to fish out ghost workers, as the state government is determined to be the first to implement the new minimum wage.
He said that the essence was to channel those money used in paying the ghost workers to a proper place where it will be useful.
Dr. Egenti further advised the over five hundred members of staff who gathered for the exercise to always be committed to duty, inculcate the attitude of discipline and respect as the commission is determined to transforming the system to be more productive.
In his remarks, the Awka South Transition Chairman, Mr. Nwuba who enjoined the staff members to be courageous enough in exposing the ghost workers, commended the initiative noting that such will reawaken the spirit of hard work and dedication among the workers.
He condemned the act of ghost staffing, describing it as a criminal act and said that anyone caught in such act should be treated as a criminal who has been stealing from the government.
Present to supervise the exercise, were the Board members of the Commission, including, the Commissioner One, Dr. Mrs. Uju Okeke, the Commissioner Two, Chief Austin Anyaeji, Barrister Ugochukwu Ezeani and Barrister Roseline Ifezuluike who are the Commissioner Three and Four respectively, among others.
