Sokoto Removes 13,415 Ghost Workers from Payroll, Saves N300m
Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
Sokoto State Government thursday said at least 13,415 ghost workers were uncovered and removed from the payroll during the last verification exercise in the state.
It also said the state government saved over N300 million from the ghost and sit at home workers.
The state Commissioner of Local Government and Community Development, Alhaji Mannir Muhammad Dan Iya, made the disclosure while briefing journalists in Sokoto.
He stated that the ministry in conjunction with stakeholders conducted verification exercise for 58,143 scheduled and unscheduled local government junior and senior staff respectively in two phases in 2016 and 2017.
Dan’Iya stated that the essence of the verification exercise was to primarily ascertain the actual work force across the 23 local government councils in the state and flush out ghost workers on payroll.
According to him, those uncovered were junior workers while verification for the senior staff also led to the uncovering of 500 ghost, dead and those due for retirement.
“I can confidently tell you that all of the affected persons had been removed from the payroll accordingly.
“This is the reason why the state government through the ministry of local government and community development decided to centralise local government staff salary.
“So, at the moment, salaries are being paid through their respective banks and cases of omission and under payment are being tackled adequately,†he stated.
Dan Iya disclosed that over N338 million was injected in the construction and upgrading of primary health centre staff quarters, asphalted road, local government secretariats, houses and wall fencing of District Head’s palaces.
He explained that the projects were carried out in the eastern zone of Gwadabawa, Rabah, Goronyo, Sabon Birni, Tangaza, Yabo, Kware, Bodinga and Tambuwal respectively.
He added that the ministry also stepped up efforts to encourage self reliance among rural dwellers through the provision of local fabricated machines for the processing of rice, millet, guinea corn, maize and wheat.
