By: Fatou Krubally
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has welcomed the government’s move to purge hundreds of ghost workers from the civil service, but has raised serious concerns over deeper issues of mismanagement, corruption, and political interference in the public sector.
In a statement issued recently, the rights-based organisation said the discovery of such a large number of ghost workers reflects poorly on the governance and oversight of public institutions.
“While this is indeed a welcome move, we are concerned about the fact that such a high number of ghost workers could exist in the first place,” the statement read. “It raises the question about the quality of management of the civil service.”
EFSCRJ called on the Ministry of Public Service to publicly release the final report of the ghost worker audit and outline concrete measures to prevent a recurrence. The group also urged the government to go beyond removing ghost workers and focus on building an efficient, independent, and transparent civil service.
“We are interested in the professional state of the public sector in its performance and delivery. National development hinges squarely on the professionalism and efficiency of public institutions,” it said.
The organisation also expressed alarm over what it described as political interference in the civil service, particularly from the Office of the President, saying unsubstantiated accusations and threats directed at public servants undermine their professionalism and morale.
EFSCRJ further pointed to continued reports of unchecked corruption across public institutions. It cited findings by the National Audit Office and National Assembly, along with other investigations, which have exposed “massive corruption and abuse of office.”