Audit exercise: Zamfara govt uncovers 2,363 ghost workers

•reduces costs by N200 million monthly

Zamfara State Government has uncovered 2,363 ghost workers following the just concluded verification of civil and public servants in the state.

Governor Dauda Lawal constituted a committee headed by the state Head of Service in August 2024 with the mandate to conduct the verification exercise of workers.

A statement on Thursday by the Governor’s spokesman, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the verification process uncovered 220 minors receiving monthly pay as civil servants.

The statement noted that the exercise was necessary due to the government’s efforts to implement the N70,000 minimum wage.

The statement said, “As part of measures to improve the efficiency of the Zamfara State civil and public service, Governor Dauda Lawal formed a high-level committee tasked with verifying the government’s payroll.

“The verification committee, led by the Head of Service, included the Commissioner of Finance, the Chairman of the labour union, the Accountant-General, the Auditor-General and the Statistician-General as members, and the Executive Secretary of ZITDA as Secretary.

“The committee’s primary responsibility involved verifying and integrating nominal and payroll systems and creating electronic employee files.

“The committee’s final report submitted to Governor Dauda Lawal highlighted that 27,109 permanent workers were cleared while workers with questionable employment include 2,363 ghost workers, 1082 civil servants who are due for retirement, 395 contract staff, 261 not on the nominal roll, 213 on study leave, 220 minors in employment and 67 workers on secondment.

“The report highlighted that 75 workers’ first appointment date is not in compliance with the issue date and all of them were minors at the time of employment.

“During the verification, 2,363 ghost workers were exposed. They were paid a total of N193,642,097.19 every month while 1082 workers were due for retirement, and they collected a total sum of N80,542,298.26 monthly.

“At the same time, five workers found to be on secondment were paid N354,927.60 monthly.

“The verification committee recommended suspending 207 workers who were not cleared. They are paid a total salary of N16,370,645.90 monthly.

“The committee found 12 workers on the payroll but not in the database and collected a monthly salary of N726,594.

“These verification exercises are ongoing efforts to monitor the Zamfara workforce and ensure transparency and accountability in service, especially as the minimum wage payments begin in March of this year.”

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