Some civil servants in Benue State have been locked out of their office premises for late coming.
The workers were said to have been locked out following a visit by the state governor, Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
Politics Nigeria gathered that the governor, in an unscheduled visit was at the state secretariat where only a few workers were present.
The governor had arrived in his convoy at about 10.35 am for an inspection of an ongoing renovation and installation of lights at the secretariat.
Security personnel had locked the gate – with hundreds of workers left outside – while the governor toured various ministries.
The governor further expressed his disappointment that some commissioners and senior officers were absent from work.
Addressing the workers who were locked outside the secretariat premises, Alia said, “With what you are doing, you are creating a vicious circle for your families.
“You cannot get money and be uplifted because you are cheats and because of the effect of what you are doing.
“The work I do is not for me, but for those who don’t know that I am the governor and those who will see me and not recognise me,” Alia said.
He appealed to the state workers to show committment to their job responsibilities or face sanctions.
He said, “I’m appealing to you because I have a quick way of getting your names and firing you as I have the power to do so. I am speaking to you as a priest and not as governor and telling you the dangers of 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 am not frustrated but I do not want you to be doomed.
“See what you can do if not for yourselves but for the people you are caring for and are behind you because they are the ones to take the heat,” he added.
