A UK-based taxi driver who left Nigeria two years ago continues to receive a monthly salary from the Nigerian government as a junior official at a government agency.
Sabitu Adams, now working as a taxi driver in the UK, had his name changed in a BBC report to protect his identity. He has not yet formally resigned from his position in Nigeria.
Adams is among the many ghost workers identified in the Nigerian civil service.
Annually, the government conducts biometric verifications and reports on the number of ghost workers uncovered and the resultant savings. However, no individuals have been announced as arrested or prosecuted for this fraudulent practice.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu directed that all civil servants who relocate abroad but continue to draw salaries from the government must refund the money. Tinubu also mandated that the supervisors and department heads of such individuals be punished for their role in facilitating the fraud during their tenure.
In response to the president’s directives, Adams told the BBC he was unconcerned because he earns better as a taxi driver in the UK.
The 36-year-old stated, “When I heard about the president’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried.” He explained that he has retained his position in Nigeria without formally resigning “in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years.”
Adams mentioned that he has an arrangement with his boss in Nigeria, who happens to be a “relative.”
