By Okerafor Athanasius, Jalingo
Biometric data capture exercise for Taraba State civil servants, which was scheduled to commence on Monday, February 17, at the Office of the State Accountant General, failed to hold.
The reasons the exercise failed to hold on day one could not be ascertained by our correspondent who visited the State Ministry of Finance headquarters, Jalingo, venue of the exercise, for routine media coverage.
From as early as 9.00 am, the Accountant General’s Office in particular was filled to capacity with workers from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who came to honour the invitation.
Our correspondent gathered that the Accountant General (AG), Mr. Gaius Danjuma, the supposed host, was not on seat that day. Sources in his office said he was out of town on other official assignments.
Efforts made to find out why the data capture exercise did not hold, failed.
Many of the invited civil servants who were apparently eager to have their data captured, expressed frustration over the situation.
However, on the second day, Tuesday, February 18, the exercise eventually kicked off in the Computer Room of the AG’s Office.
Shortly after, large numbers of civil servants were seen leaving the premises, saying that the exercise had suddenly stopped.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry, Sunday Stephen, told our correspondent that the exercise had been suspended till further notice.
Stephen added that the exercise was going on smoothly until “a technical issue” ensued.
“The system developed problem as the exercise was going on and a technician has to come from Abuja or Lagos to rectify the issue before the exercise would continue”, he said.
On whether the absence of the AG, who authored and issued a statement on the commencement of the exercise, was part of the reasons behind the failure of the exercise, the PRO said such was far from reality.
His words: “The absence of the AG could not have stopped the exercise because he had already signed and given the office a go-ahead order to continue with the exercise.”
Recall that a statement, signed by the AG, went virile on various social media platforms announcing the Monday date for commencement of the exercise.
He said the directive came from the State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas.
The exercise, according to the statement, aimed to ensure payroll integrity, identify discrepancies, and maintain an accurate record of all civil servants.
“This biometric capture is mandatory for all civil servants. Only duly captured staff will remain on the payroll,” he stated.
