Labour Minister cautions staff on unnecessary travel

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has directed an immediate minimiszation of Duty Tour Allowances in the ministry and agencies under it.

This is in line with the firm determination of the federal government to eliminate waste and maximize the use of scarce resources.

Under this directive, no officer including the Minister, Minister of State and the Permanent Secretary will be allowed to stay out of the station for more than one night.

Any officer, whose job is taking out of station for more than a night therefore, is expected to get the approval of the Permanent Secretary.

This shall not exceed a maximum of two days.

Any other stay that lasts for more than two days because of the peculiar nature of the duty shall be with the express approval of the Minister.

This will apply for both local and international travels.

No officer will travel abroad without the approval of the Minister, even if the cooperation partners or donor agencies are sponsoring such.

“These are cost saving measures, which will also enhance productivity, and we are all expected to abide by it. The days where we stay for as long as possible to accumulate allowances for ourselves are now over,” Ngige said.

He stated this while addressing the management team of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in his office in Abuja.

He urged civil servants to instead of unnecessary travel, tap into the numerous advantages presented by new information and communication technology.

“New technology has effectively shut down the number of times we ought to be on the road. The State Director of an agency doesn’t need to travel to

Abuja to brief his Director General. He can adequately communicate from

his base and still deliver the goals.”