By OKON OKON

Some civil servants in Abuja on Monday resumed work after a two-day public holiday declared by the Federal Government to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited the Federal Secretariat, reports that offices recorded a relatively high turnout of workers compared to previous years.

Some civil servants who spoke with NAN cited prevailing economic challenges as a major factor affecting their ability to fully participate in the festivities, hence the need to resume early.

Mr Wahip Isah said he was unable to travel to celebrate with his family due to the high cost of transportation.

“The hardship is biting harder. Our salaries can barely sustain our families, let alone cover transportation for celebrations.

“I believe this is the situation many civil servants are facing, which explains the high turnout at work,” he said.

Similarly, Hajiya Maryam Usman, another civil servant, said she reported early to duty because she could not afford to travel for the celebration.

“I usually take casual leave during festive periods to visit my relatives, but the current situation in the country made it difficult.

“There was no point staying back at home since I couldn’t travel. If you observe closely, the turnout is higher because many people could not leave Abuja,” she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Awa Hamza identified delayed salary payments as a major setback.

“I could not travel out of Abuja as I used to due to financial challenges, so I resumed work early.

“I had hoped salaries would be paid in time for the celebration. The hardship is too much, especially for civil servants working in cities,” she said.

Mr Emmanuel Joseph, another respondent, called on the Federal Government to subsidise transportation costs for civil servants.

According to him, the available Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses are insufficient to meet the needs of workers in Abuja.

“Although the government has introduced CNG buses to reduce transportation costs, they are not enough.

“Transport services in Abuja are expensive, especially with reliance on private operators. This makes it difficult for civil servants to cope.

“The situation is affecting productivity. I appeal to the government to take urgent steps to ease the hardship,” he said. (NAN)