Civil servants in Abuja returned to work on Monday after a two-day public holiday granted by the Federal Government to commemorate the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
A reporter from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited the Federal Secretariat and observed a significant presence of workers, in contrast to previous years.
Several civil servants who spoke with NAN attributed their early return to work to the current economic challenges, which have impacted their ability to enjoy the holiday festivities fully.
Mr Wahib Isah explained that he could not afford the travel costs to celebrate with his family due to high transportation expenses.
"The hardship is becoming unbearable. Our salaries are hardly enough to support our families, let alone cover travel expenses for festivities. I think many civil servants are in a similar situation, which accounts for the noticeably higher presence at work," he remarked.
In agreement, Hajiya Maryam Usman stated that she arrived early because she could not manage to travel for the celebrations.
"I usually take casual leave during festive times to visit my family, but the current economic situation has made that impractical. There’s no point in staying home when I cannot travel. If you look around, you'll notice more people opted to come to work since many couldn’t leave Abuja," she noted.
Additionally, Mrs Awa Hamza pointed out that delays in salary payments have compounded their difficulties.
"I had to return to work early because I couldn’t travel out of Abuja as I normally would due to financial constraints. I was hopeful that salaries would be disbursed in time for the holiday, but the reality is quite harsh, particularly for civil servants in urban areas," she stated.
Similarly, Mr Emmanuel Joseph urged the Federal Government to take action to lower transportation costs for civil servants, mentioning that the current Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses fall short of addressing the transportation needs of workers in the city.
"While the government has introduced CNG buses to help reduce travel costs, they are insufficient. Transportation services in Abuja are costly, especially when depending on private operators, which makes it difficult for civil servants to manage. This situation is taking a toll on productivity. I implore the government to implement measures to alleviate these challenges," he added. (NAN)
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