The Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki says his government will begin the implementation of full cashless policy, effective March 1, 2023.
The Governor made this known on Thursday, during a Code of Ethics engagement with senior management staff of the Edo State civil/public service, held at the Government House, in Benin City.
The event was part of the State Government’s transformation enhancement programme (Edo STEP).
“In his words, “I have a circular that effective March 1st, government will be prohibited from using cash. Government is pushing toward a cashless economy. So, why must the service dodge transparency? We should be able to explain every amount we spend and how we earned it.
“We believe in the civil and public service, as without you, we cannot have a functioning government. That is why we have, in the last six years, made your welfare a priority.
“We pay salaries and pensions on the 26th of each month. We have refurbished your work environment for optimal service delivery. Today, our civil and public servants are the most technology compliant in the country.
“We are deploying resources to make sure that before October this year, every Local Government is connected via fibre optic.
“We have a crisis in our hands where we are trying to change and improve things for you. Most of you want that but there are still a lot of people, who still behave the way they used to behave in the past.
“If we struggle every month to make sure you get your salary on time, why must you now feel that focusing on other areas, trying to make money from other areas illegitimately, is what we should still be doing by this time?
“The level of waste and corruption in our public service must be reduced. If you need us to do more and make more resources available to you, then we must all agree to work together to cut down on the waste and the corruption in our system. We also must agree to be fair to the government and the people, who pay the taxes,” the Governor said.
