Most offices at the federal and state secretariats in Ibadan on Friday were under lock and key despite Thursday’s ending of a three-day holiday to celebrate the Eid el-Fitr.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had declared Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as public holidays for the celebration of the 2024 Eid el-Fitr.
A NAN correspondent, who monitored workers resumption at the Federal and State Secretariats in Ibadan, reported that most offices were under lock and key.
Some of the workers, who were seen in a few of the offices which were opened, nonetheless expressed delight at the three-day break. They said the holiday provided them the opportunity to rest well and spend quality time with their families.
However, the State Director of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Olayinka Steve-Ogundipe, said all heads of the directorate’s departments and other members of staff were at their desks.
She said they were at their respective duty posts attending to the public. Steve-Ogundipe, who congratulated all Muslim faithful for Ramadan’s successful completion and Eid el-Fitr celebrations, charged Nigerian workers to justify the holiday by working with vigour upon their return to work.
Roseline Ajayi, the South-West Zonal Director of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said all the agency’s staff reported for work as early as 7:30 am.
“They had no choice than to be at their duty posts because some of our activities are timely. So, we can’t afford to stay away from work.”
Ajayi charged all federal civil/public servants to be dutiful, committed and dedicated to their various assignments.
“I believe, by the Grace of God, we are being paid for the work we do this week in particular. The government had given three days as a holiday to celebrate Eid el-Fitr and we all used the opportunity to rest well.
“So, government is not saying the remaining one day of the week is a work-free day. Therefore, we were expected to be at our various duty posts,” she said.
Some workers at the state secretariat, while speaking with NAN, said the three-day holiday was enough to rest for dutiful civil servants. They noted that such an act of staying away from work on Friday was an act of laziness.
One of the workers, Saheed Olakore, said he returned to Ibadan from Iseyin on Thursday evening where he celebrated the Eid el-Fitr with his family. Olakore appreciated the government for the holiday saying, like other workers, he rested well and had resumed at his duty post.
On his part, Paul Ayankunle, another worker, said the holiday enabled him to clear a portion of land close to his abode in the Moniya area of Ibadan for farming. Ayankunle said he would be able to plant maize and cassava on Saturday, as part of measures he was undertaking to address hardship.
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