When technology meant to sanitize governance begins to suffocate the governed, then reform has lost its essence.
By: Umar Aliyu
When the government introduced the Attendance Biometrics Machine as a tool to monitor workers’ punctuality and curb the menace of ghost workers, the idea was met with great enthusiasm. The concept sounded modern, efficient, and reformative a technological stride toward accountability and productivity in the civil service.
For years, the public sector had been battling inefficiency, absenteeism, and payroll fraud. The introduction of biometrics, therefore, came as a promise of hope a system that would ensure only those physically present at their duty posts would earn their wages.
But today, that same innovation has become a double-edged sword a “solution” that now torments the very people it was meant to protect. Instead of curing the disease of absenteeism, it has, in many places, inflicted new wounds on honest and hardworking civil servants. What was once a policy of progress has degenerated into a source of frustration, anxiety, and disillusionment.
The government’s intention was, no doubt, noble. Ghost workers have been a long-standing problem in the Nigerian public service names appearing on payrolls of people who either do not exist or have long stopped working. Billions of naira have been lost to this menace. The introduction of the biometric system was therefore designed to sanitize the payroll, ensure transparency, and strengthen accountability.
However, the reality unfolding in many states tells a sad and painful story. Civil servants, especially those in rural areas, are now in a state of dilemma. Each month, a considerable number of genuine workers face salary withholdings due to technical glitches, system failures, or mismanagement of data.
The worst part is that once your salary is withheld, it vanishes into thin air never to be refunded. There are no clear channels for appeal, no efficient grievance procedures, and no assurance that justice will be served.
Imagine a hardworking teacher who reports to school daily, battling poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and long distances, only to discover at the end of the month that her salary has been withheld because he/her thumbprint failed to register correctly on the biometric device. Imagine a health worker in a remote clinic who saves lives daily but loses his pay simply because of a “system error.” It is a story that touches the heart — a policy meant to reward diligence now punishes loyalty.
The plight of rural workers cannot be overstated. For every instance of a biometric error be it “insufficient attendance,” “unverified fingerprint,” or “absent record” staff are compelled to travel to the state headquarters to rectify the issue.
This journey often costs them transport fare that eats deep into their modest earnings. Many travel several hours under harsh weather conditions, sometimes even borrowing money to reach the capital. Worse still, many of them are turned back with new excuses or told to return on another day. Some go twice, even thrice, before their records are corrected — if ever.
The irony is glaring: a reform meant to save government funds is now draining workers’ pockets and morale. Those who designed and implemented this system seem to have done so from the comfort of air-conditioned offices, detached from the realities of the rural worker.
They failed to consider the infrastructural gaps poor internet connectivity, unreliable electricity, and the long distances between local government areas and state headquarters. A system that does not take these realities into account is destined to cause more harm than good.
Behind every withheld salary lies a human story — a father unable to pay his children’s school fees, a mother struggling to feed her family, a young graduate losing faith in the system he/she once hoped to serve. These are not lazy workers or ghost employees; they are the backbone of the civil service. Yet, their commitment is being punished by a machine that fails to recognize their humanity.
It is painful to note that most of these workers live from paycheck to paycheck. The delay or loss of a month’s salary can throw an entire family into distress. Debts pile up, morale drops, and productivity declines.
A hungry worker cannot be efficient; an anxious worker cannot be creative. The ripple effect extends beyond individuals to affect the performance of entire departments and institutions.
The human cost of this poorly coordinated system is immeasurable. It breeds bitterness, distrust, and resentment. It discourages commitment and fuels absenteeism — ironically, the very problem the biometric system was supposed to solve.
Technology, no matter how sophisticated, must be guided by empathy and foresight. Machines are not perfect, and systems can fail — but governance must never fail to consider the people.
In many cases, the biometric devices are old, poorly maintained, or handled by untrained operators. Fingerprint scanners malfunction, networks crash, and attendance records get lost. Yet, the worker bears the punishment for a system failure beyond their control.
What is missing is a clear structure for redress. There should be local mechanisms for immediate verification and correction. Why should a teacher in a remote village travel hundreds of kilometers to fix a biometric error when a simple desk officer at the local government level could handle it within hours?
The solution is not to abolish the biometric system — it remains a valuable tool in promoting accountability. However, it must be restructured to reflect human realities.
The state government should decentralize the rectification process by establishing biometric support desks in every local government area. Each desk officer should be trained and equipped to handle common issues — from revalidation of attendance to correction of fingerprint mismatches.
Such a move will save time, reduce cost, and restore workers’ confidence in the system. Moreover, it will ensure that genuine workers are not unjustly punished due to system lapses.
The introduction of periodic review mechanisms, proper training for operators, and reliable feedback channels will go a long way in improving efficiency.
Governments must also ensure transparency in handling withheld salaries. If a worker’s pay is suspended due to a technical issue, there should be a verifiable procedure for review and refund once the error is corrected.
A just system is one that not only detects wrongdoing but also corrects mistakes fairly.
At the heart of this matter lies a broader question of governance. Leadership is not merely about enforcing policies but about ensuring that such policies serve the people. A reform that causes more hardship than relief is a failed reform.
The true test of leadership is empathy — the ability to feel the people’s pain and respond swiftly. Unfortunately, many of those in authority have become detached from the struggles of the ordinary worker. The hardship of the common man no longer moves them.
The civil service, which should be the engine of governance, is slowly being crippled by a lack of compassion and poor coordination.
If the purpose of introducing technology is to promote efficiency, then the technology must itself be efficient — not punitive. Government must not hide behind machines to justify negligence.
The biometric attendance system should be reviewed not from the lens of bureaucratic pride, but from the perspective of those whose lives it directly affects.
This is a humble plea to the state government: kindly intervene before the situation worsens. Give each local government a dedicated desk officer empowered to handle all biometric-related issues.
This single act of decentralization will relieve thousands of workers of unnecessary suffering. It will also help the government achieve its original objective of accountability without compromising fairness.
Let us remember that progress without compassion is regression in disguise. A policy that works on paper but fails in practice is no progress at all. The attendance biometric machine should be a symbol of efficiency, not oppression; a tool of reform, not frustration.
Conclusion
The biometric attendance system began as a solution a step toward eradicating ghost workers and improving punctuality in public offices. But because of poor coordination, inadequate supervision, and lack of empathy, it has now become a dilemma.
The government must act swiftly to restore balance. Reforms should never punish the faithful while chasing the fraudulent. Every honest worker deserves respect, fairness, and the assurance that their efforts will be recognized not erased by a machine’s error.
In the end, governance is about people, not programs; compassion, not computation. Technology should serve humanity, not torment it.
The time to fix the biometric dilemma is now — before more tears are shed in the name of reform.
Umar Aliyu is a public commentator, poet, and advocate of good governance. He writes from Bajoga, Gombe State.
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