http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5158890.stm
Nigeria to cut thousands of jobs
Nigeria's civil servants have a poor reputation
Some 33,000 Nigerian civil servants are to lose their jobs by the end of this year, a minister has said.
This amounts to about 20% of Nigeria's 160,000 public workers.
The minister in charge of civil service reform, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, said that those who did not lose their jobs would be given an unspecified pay rise.
He said many of those to be sacked were unfit, guilty of serious misconduct or "ghost workers", inherited from the years of military rule.
However, some 50 billion naira ($389m) has been set aside to make redundancy payments, Mr Rufai said.
The measures are intended to improve efficiency in Nigeria's civil service, which has a poor reputation.
Nigeria's civil servants union is not strong and the more militant Nigeria Labour Congress has not threatened any industrial action over the sackings.
Mr Rufai is one of the team brought in by President Olusegun Obasanjo to help turn round Nigeria's economy.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter but most if its people live in poverty.
Nigeria to cut thousands of jobs
Nigeria's civil servants have a poor reputation
Some 33,000 Nigerian civil servants are to lose their jobs by the end of this year, a minister has said.
This amounts to about 20% of Nigeria's 160,000 public workers.
The minister in charge of civil service reform, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, said that those who did not lose their jobs would be given an unspecified pay rise.
He said many of those to be sacked were unfit, guilty of serious misconduct or "ghost workers", inherited from the years of military rule.
However, some 50 billion naira ($389m) has been set aside to make redundancy payments, Mr Rufai said.
The measures are intended to improve efficiency in Nigeria's civil service, which has a poor reputation.
Nigeria's civil servants union is not strong and the more militant Nigeria Labour Congress has not threatened any industrial action over the sackings.
Mr Rufai is one of the team brought in by President Olusegun Obasanjo to help turn round Nigeria's economy.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter but most if its people live in poverty.
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