Workers yet to resume work in FCT

By Bode Olagoke Abuja

Workers were entangled by the ongoing fuel crisis and the general hardship in town and virtually abstained from offi ce yesterday in the Federal Capital Territory, as visit to the Federal Secretariat showed low turnout. The federal government had declared December 25 and 26 as public holidays to mark the Christmas and Boxing Day celebrations.

Our reporter, who went round the secretariat, observed that the place which used to be a beehive of activities was virtually empty as most offices were locked and a few members of the staff and cleaners were seen hanging around.

Some workers who spoke to Blueprint attributed the low turnout to the yuletide season and the trauma of fuel scarcity. Udochukwu Mgbeche of the Ministry of Communication Technology said many workers were not in the office because they had travelled for different programmes in their respective villages in spite of the fuel scarcity.

“As you can see, this is not what the secretariat used to be; it used to be a beehive of activities but most of the offices are locked because many people have travelled despite the fuel scarcity. “I am in the office because I need to be here; I am not on leave, the public holiday is over. I came because it is my duty as a member staff to be in the office.

’’ Also, Femi Adewole from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said though workers were yet to resume fully, he expressed optimism they will by the New Year. “The office is not that full because a lot of people who travelled must have been stranded due to scarcity of fuel; I guess by January people would have returned and will resume work.

“Personally, I have to be in the office even though there is no work for me to do; it is necessary I report to the office even if it means me sitting down in the office doing nothing.’’ Similarly, Chinwe Osita, a civil servant, said the fuel scarcity was a major hindrance for some workers. “It was difficult for me to come to the office today, transport fare has doubled. Before now I used to pay N100 from Mararaba axis to town, now the fare is N200.

“This means I have to spend nothing less than N500 when you include my bike fare to and from the bus stop. By January, many people would have returned and work will resume fully.” A visit to the National Hospital also showed that health workers were fully on ground to attend to patients. Enyioma Aja, a matron at the hospital told our reporter that work was in progress as many patients took their turns to see the doctors. “As you can see I am very busy.

For we health workers, there is no holiday because we have to attend to the sick, who come in every day. In spite of the fuel scarcity, we have to do everything humanly possible to report for duty.”

Leave a Reply