A Nigerian taxi driver in the United Kingdom has shared how he continues to receive monthly pay as a junior official at a government agency back home.
Despite leaving Nigeria two years ago, he has not formally resigned from his previous job, as reported recently by the BBC.
This comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu directed a crackdown on civil servants who continue to draw salaries from government funds despite living abroad and no longer working for the government.
Concerned by information provided by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), Folasade Yemi-Esan, about employees who have relocated abroad but are still receiving salaries without officially resigning, Tinubu ordered that those responsible must be held accountable.
The President directed that beneficiaries of the practice should not only be made to repay the money but those who aided them should be investigated and punished accordingly.
“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected.
“Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” Tinubu said.
In response to the President’s threat, the UK-based cab driver, whose name was changed to Sabitu Adams by the BBC for anonymity, expressed that he is unconcerned about losing his Nigerian salary.
He mentioned that he now earns significantly more driving a taxi in the UK. Adams added that losing his monthly Nigerian salary of 150,000 naira, which equals approximately $100 or £80, would not cause him any distress.
“When I heard about the president’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried,” he told BBC.
The 36-year-old also confirmed the President’s claim about accomplices within the system as he admitted that his department continued to facilitate his payment because they have a good rapport.
“I had a good understanding with my boss and he just let me leave. I didn’t resign because I wanted to leave that door open in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years,” he disclosed.
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