From Scholastica Hir Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday, locked out hundreds of civil servants for coming to work late when he paid an unscheduled visit to the secretariat.
The governor arrived at the secretariat at about 10:35 am and ordered the gates locked while many workers were still strolling in when they should have reported to work by 8am.
The gates were quickly locked and manned by gun-wielding security officers while he took time to inspect ongoing renovation works in the complex including.
Governor Alia, who normally carries out routine unscheduled visits to the secretariat, went round most of the offices in the ministries and discovered to his dismay that while some categories of staff, especially junior staff, were around, some principal officers including commissioners and directors were absent.
The absence of the principal officers, our correspondent gathered, stalled a scheduled meeting between the governor and directors.
The development also created a traffic jam in front of the secretariat as both workers and visitors who had businesses to do at the ministries were left stranded for about two hours.
Governor Alia noted that the state civil servants were also part of the government and should know and do better.
“The work I do is not for me but for those who don’t know that I’m the governor and those who will see me and not even recognise me. I’m appealing to you because I have a quick way of getting your names and firing you as I have the powers to do so. But I am speaking to you as a priest and not as governor and telling you the dangers in what you are doing.
“It is not about me. Who is government? All of you here are the government. Even in the family, somebody governs the home and there are rules. And in every government there are rules. I’m speaking to you because I do not want you to be doomed.
“See what you can do to help, if not yourselves, those people you are caring for and those behind you because they are the ones to take the heat of the circle you have created.”