Struggling to survive: Why Nigerian civil servants now work only 2 days a week, details emerge

• Amid rising costs and stagnant salaries, many Nigerian civil servants now work only two or three days a week to save on transportation
• In response to the economic crisis, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun states introduced official work-from-home policies, allowing civil servants to reduce their time at the office
• In Borno, Kano, and other states without official work-from-home directives, civil servants have informally reduced their workdays, struggling with stagnant salaries and rising living costs

Amid rising costs and stagnant salaries, civil servants across Nigeria have resorted to working only two or three days a week to save on transportation expenses.

The financial strain, exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidies and other government economic policies, has pushed workers to adopt this self-help strategy.

Economic hardship affecting the productivity of civil servants Photo credit: @NigeriaStories
Source: Twitter

Lagos, Ogun, Osun implement official work-from-home policies

In response to the economic crisis, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun state governments have introduced formal work-from-home policies for civil servants.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos introduced the policy in February, allowing workers on grade levels 01 to 14 to work from home two days a week, and those on grade levels 15 to 17, one day.

The policy was recently extended for another three months.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, adopted the same template on September 11, while Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke followed suit, reducing workdays for junior and senior civil servants to three and four days per week, respectively.

A Lagos-based labor leader, Comrade Yusuf Bello, criticized the policy, describing it as a failure of government initiatives.

Bello said:

"If the policy of the government is working and it is working for the welfare of the people, they wouldn’t move in that direction."

He called for more sustainable economic solutions rather than quick fixes, stressing that the reduction in workdays affects not only the workforce but also informal workers who depend on the civil service, Daily Trust reported.

Borno, Kano, others states remain silent

In states like Borno, Kano, and Benue, governments have not officially implemented work-from-home policies, but civil servants have taken it upon themselves to cut down their workdays.

In Borno, a civil servant named Mallam Baka, lamented his inability to meet the growing cost of living with his monthly salary of N87,000.

He said:

"My take home is N87,000; I have been working for 14 years now, but things are very difficult for us as workers."

Another worker, Babagana Mohammed, stated that food prices have quadrupled in the past year, while salaries have remained stagnant.

In Kano, some civil servants reportedly skip work altogether except for Fridays. A senior worker explained,

"I live at Yakasai Quarters, and I trek to the office every day. My salary is nothing to write home about."

Abuja workers Create "arrangee" models

In the nation's capital, federal workers in ministries, departments, and agencies have devised informal schedules to manage the transportation cost increases.

Workers at the Office of the Head of Civil Service and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation shared that many offices have adopted unofficial "arrangee" work models.

Benue, Zamfara, Rivers, and Kwara workers also struggle

Civil servants in Benue, Zamfara, and Rivers also reported cutting down their workdays. In Benue, one worker said,

"I go to the office only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Our boss supports us since we can’t afford daily transportation."

A senior civil servant in Zamfara echoed similar sentiments, stating that their superiors pretended not to notice the reduced workdays due to the harsh economic situation.

Adeleke takes bold step to ease life of Osun workers

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that in a proactive measure to alleviate the burden of high transportation costs, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has announced a series of changes aimed at improving the working conditions of civil servants.

The new directives include re-scheduled working days for various categories of public servants and the extension of palliative payments for the next two months.

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Source: Legit.ng