Bauchi has 41,000 ghosts workers ― Gov Mohammed declares

It has been discovered that not fewer than 41,000 ghost workers have been collecting salaries and other allowances as genuine workers on the payroll of the Bauchi State Government.

The revelation according to Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir was discovered a few months ago when he ordered an audit of the strength of the civil servants in the state in order to determine the actual total salary, pension and allowances on a monthly basis.

Bala Mohammed, who revealed this last weekend during a dinner for members of the FCT Press Corps who had a retreat in Bauchi, said that he uncovered the practice after his assumption of office five months ago and said that out of the 101,000 civil servants, thousands are receiving salaries without the compulsory Bank Verification Number (BVN).

He declared that he will not succumb to any blackmail until the right thing was done saying that: “Just last week, we discovered that some of our civil servants are ghost workers. The Federal Government has said that everybody must have a BVN. But 41, 000 out of 101, 000 civil servants in Bauchi state do not have BVN and they have been collecting salaries under the last administration. A lot of compromises happened”.

The Governor added: “Those who have BVN have been getting alerts, but the rest of the civil servants must be investigated. It is good to note that the government has not employed any graduate in the last four years. Yet our salaries are increasing. And some mischievous people are complaining about my discoveries”.

Bala Mohammed alleged that: “Some of the ghost workers we suspect are conniving with our education secretaries in the local governments and health directors. As a civil servant, I am just suspending them to find out what happened. And if I find out that they are not compromising, I will be just and equitable to them. If otherwise, the civil service rules will apply to them, so that nobody will do it again.”

Meanwhile, in line with the current efforts of the present administration in Bauchi in ensuring accountability, blocking unnecessary leakages as well as ensure strict adherence to due process, the state government has decided that October 2019 salary of all affected civil servants at the state and local governments, as well as pensioners, will not be paid until they provide the required Bank Verification Number (BVN).

This is as an observation that this development is likely to give room for some infringements in the administration of salaries and pension in the state/Local government services.

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A statement from the office of the Head of Civil Service signed by Umar Sa’idu contained that from the available records, it was discovered that a total number of 41,448 staff were affected by this development with the following breakdown, state service. 5,316, primary healthcare 1,933, local education authority. 19,605, local government staff 4,705, state pensioners. 4,019 and local government pensioners 5,870

The statement further contained that: “Accordingly, all MDAs of the affected civil servants and pensioners are advised to adhere strictly with the directives, as the government is trying all possible means to ensure the comfort of civil servants and pensioners in the state.”

In the same vein, Bauchi state government has suspended with immediate effect, all local government education secretaries and their treasurers, as well as directors of primary healthcare in the 20 local government areas of the state.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Ladan Salihu who disclosed this in a press statement, stated that the move was part of efforts to ensure sanity in the payment of workers salaries.

The statement directed the affected officers are to handover the affairs of their offices to their immediate subordinates, as their suspension is to ensure that the on-going Investigations in the payment of workers salaries was not compromised.

According to the statement, the state government has found it expedient to make a further statement regarding the Payment of Salaries as more than Forty-One thousand civil servants on the government payroll in the administration of salaries and pension in the state and local governments were been paid without Bank Verification Number.

The statement explained that this has represented more than 40% of the state’s workforce as the total number of staff on the state and local government payroll is 83,885,  while state and local government pensioners are 17,314, resulting to the total payroll staff strength of 101,199.

It said the official breakdown of civil servants in Bauchi state without is 5,316 in the state civil service, 19,605 in local education authority, 1,933 in primary healthcare, 4,705 in the directorate of local government, 4,019 in state pensioners, while is 5,870 in local government pensioners.

The statement disclosed that already the state government has directed that salaries meant for the 41,488 names on the Payroll without BVN be warehoused by the State’s Accountant General pending further Investigation.

But in a swift reaction, State Council of the NLC has kicked against the move advising the government to tread with caution in order not start a war it may not be able to curtail.

An official of the Congress who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday pleading anonymity said there was no reason for such action saying though the NLC is not against curbing the menace of ghost workers within the system.

He reminded the government that the welfare of workers as part of the reasons that militated against the immediate past administration of the APC warning that anything that will bring untold hardship to the living condition of the genuine workers will be resisted by all means.