THE Nigerian government is preparing to dismiss tens of thousands of “dead wood” civil servants before it hands over to the incoming civilian regimes, a senior minister said on Wednesday. “There are plans for a clearout of the dead wood. We cannot afford to keep people on who do not work and cannot hand on the problem to the incoming government,” he said.The government, whose plans are expected to draw heavy fire from unions already embroiled in a public sector strike, hands over to a civilian regime on May 29. At some federal ministries, half the staff are expected to lose their jobs while in the 36 states, thousands face dismissal. Pressure for a clearout has grown since the government announced a long-awaited wage increase for all public-sector employees in September. The government cannot afford the higher wages without dismissals.