By Okon Okon
Workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja on Tuesday resumed duty after observing Friday and Monday Easter public holidays declared by the Federal Government.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited the Federal Secretariat and other places in Abuja on Tuesday, however, observed that most workers were yet to resume work fully after the two days public holidays.
NAN reports that the Federal Government had declared Friday April 15 and Monday April 18 as public holidays to mark the 2022 Easter celebration.
NAN also observes that commercial banks, some business premises which closed for the holidays had reopened for business as customers were seen going into those places for their businesses.
Some of the civil servants, who spoke with NAN, however, blamed the low turn-out of some workers on alleged nonchalant attitude of some civil servants, who according to them, always add additional days for themselves whenever public holidays are declared for any celebration.
Mrs Salamatu Umar, a civil servant, said most workers do take additional days to continue to rest in the name of celebration, saying “it is a bad attitude towards work.
“It has always been our lifestyle to add two or more days to the official public holidays given to celebrate in Nigeria; be it Easter, Christmas or Sallah celebration.
“Though a good number of us have resumed but you will agree with me that some us are still in the mood of celebration,” she observed.
Umar, however, said she had always celebrating Easter with Christians but could not do so at this time as the Muslims were observing fasting within the same period.
“I normally travel anytime we have holidays to celebrate with my Christian brothers and sisters during the period like this but I could not do so because of the fasting period. All the same we are back to work,” she said.
Mr Francis Boniface, another civil servant, expressed joy of traveling safely to his state and returning safely to work, adding that he could not stay beyond the holidays.
“I am so delighted, I traveled and came back safely to begin my work and I see no reason to overstay because it might have caused me to spend a lot, so I have to quickly return.”
Mrs Mary Onyekwere, also a civil servant explained that she was unable to travel out of Abuja, owing to lack of enough money to celebrate with her family.
According to her, traveling requires a lot of money so as to be able to return to work on time.
“It is difficult to return back to Abuja if you traveled out during break, especially when salaries are not paid before such holidays.
” So, I don’t really blame some of us who are yet to return so much because things are hard for Nigerians. Some may have traveled and found it difficult to come back to Abuja.
“You know we Nigerians, we love celebration no matter the situation we may find ourselves at the moment,” she said.
Mary, nevertheless, used the medium to appeal to the Federal Government to at least, use a period like this in any celebration to put a smile on the faces of civil servants by providing them with some incentives to motivate their morale.
“To be kindid sir, Nigerian public servants are not well treated in that aspect. How can we be working from January to December without additional thing besides our monthly salaries, it is unfair, ” she decried. (NAN)
