The Governors of two Nigerian States have decided to cut Public Servants’ work in offices to three days a week in response to the nationwide removal of a fuel subsidy.
Head of Service in Edo State, Anthony Okungbowa insisted the new work policy would not affect productivity.
In a meeting with Permanent Secretaries as well as Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Mr Okungbowa (pictured) said on the other two days officers could work from home using their own devices and the e-Gov platform.
“This will in no way affect our performance and productivity negatively. It appears that our Governor, Godwin Obaseki anticipated this situation when he introduced e-governance in 2021,” Mr Okungbowa said.
He said the three days of working from home would be staggered so that Government offices would still be open for five days.
“People should continue to visit Government offices during the week, as they will be open,” the Head of Service said.
This follows a similar decision by the Kwara State Governor, Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq who said three-day office work would be introduced immediately.
Mr Abdul Razaq said his officials were still working on how the measure would affect health workers and teachers.
Speaking to union leaders, the Governor said the removal of subsidy was a painful decision the Federal Government had to take in the larger interest of the country.
“It is the cheapest and most sustainable option available to curb criminal bleeding of the resources at the expense of the larger public,” Mr Abdul Razaq said.
Abuja, 15 June 2023
