‘Delta  is Tackling  the Issue of Ghost Workers’

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Delta State Head of Service (HOS), Sir Reginald Bayoko, has said that the issue of “ghost workers” is not a significant problem in the state Civil Service contrary to the impression that might be created by some media reports. 

He said that whereas most of the state workers who traveled for various overseas training often returned to the country and to their respective duty posts in the state civil service, it was only the case of few deviants who absconded or remained abroad that was given much publicity in the media.

However, the Delta HOS assured the people  that the Oborevwori administration has zero tolerance for such misconduct especially salary fraud, adding that perpetrators of absenteeism and their accomplices will not escape appropriate sanctions.

Bayoko made these remarks as a special guest at the Delta State NUJ (Nigeria Union of Journalists) Hangout  in Asaba.

The HOS warned that employees who fraudulently draw salaries without performing their assigned duties, including those who remained abroad after overseas training but whose names remained in the regular payment voucher, must face stringent repercussion such as outright dismissal.

He stressed that ensuring sanity in the system remained “a collective responsibility”, noting that with adequate supervision by the different officers responsible for close or immediate supervision, the issue of ghost workers or of workers disappearing from their duty posts will become a thing of the past.

Bayoko, who hinted that Delta State transited to the new Minimum Wage without hiccups despite the state shouldering over 48,000 workforce, sued for vigilance from all and sundry.

He said: “Supervising officers who aided them (abscoundees) deliberately or through negligence would be punished accordingly.

“No member of staff can just disappear from work without people taking note both at the workplace and at home.”

He said that the government has adopted a strategy including immediate cessation of payments to individuals no longer in the state’s employ as well as meticulous auditing and rigorous assessment of staff records across various ministries, departments and parastatals.

He , however, explained that state retirees under the contributory pension scheme would not be covered by the latest minimum wage, urging both employees and citizens to continue to support the government led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.