After New Year holiday: Abuja records low turnout of workers

The low turn-out of workers has been recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, after the New New Year holiday.

The Federal Government had declared Monday, Dec. 25, 2017; Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017; and Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, as public holidays for the Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year celebrations to enable Nigerians to enjoy Yuletide.

Workers were expected to resume normal duty after Yuletide holiday.

However, activities at the Federal Secretariat and various Ministries, Departments, and Parastatals (MDAs), Abuja, was low as few workers resumed for duty.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who went round the MDAs on Tuesday reports that the majority of the workers were yet to resume.

NAN also reports that commercial activities around the secretariat were low as many people who engaged trading were also not present.

Some of the workers who spoke with NAN were optimistic that the country would experience a better turnaround in the New Year.

Mr Tony Ihuoha, a civil servant, said that it was time for Nigerian workers to rededicate their lives to their work to achieve greatness in the year.

According to him, if we can work harder and add our input in terms of our human and mental resources to the job we do, Nigeria will be better for it.

He, however, said that the low turnout of workers could be because many travelled for the holidays and were yet to return.

At Phase 3 of the secretariat, housing the Federal Ministry of Education, civil servants were seen treating files and attending to their schedule of work.

Mrs Dorcas Babatunde, also a civil servant, told NAN that the holidays had come and gone, and it was necessary for workers to be at their duty post for a successful outcome of the year.

Babatunde said that though work had resumed, activities had yet to pick up in the offices.

“The year has started on a good note. Some workers have resumed while others are yet to resume.

“I believe that by Monday, activities would have taken shape at the secretariat. But all I know is that many are yet to return from their journey.

Miss Chinenye Eze, a recharge card seller, said that business was dull as many of her customers had not resumed work.

Eze, who was hopeful that things would get better as soon as many of the workers return, said sales were very low for the resumption of work.

Also, Mrs Iyabo Agbaje, a food vendor, said it was a normal thing at the resumption of work to experience low sales.

“I have learned from the previous resumption of work that there will always be a low turnout of workers the first-day work resume.

“What I did was to cook little food that I know I can finish selling before the close of work. This is because I have had experiences of having to throw food away because of low patronage,” she added.

NAN also reports that the ever-busy car park at the Eagle Square was scanty with few vehicles parked.

A car park attendant, Mr Abdul Ilori, confirmed that the level of resumption of civil servants after the New Year holiday was poor.

Ilori admitted that patronage was also low, blaming the situation on the fact that most civil servants had not resumed.

He expressed optimism that normal activities would begin from Monday (Jan. 8) as it has always been the situation in previous years.