BVN: We won’t witch-hunt any worker, Bauchi committee assures

As controversy continues to trail the recent discovery of ghost workers claiming salaries in Bauchi state which necessitated the suspension of salary of over 40,000 civil servants who do not have BVN, the Committee set up by the State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir to verify the state workers without Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) has pledged that it is not going to witch-hunt any civil servant in the course of its assignment.

Chairman of the Committee, Sen Adamu Ibrahim Gumba made the pledge, on Monday, while briefing newsmen on the commencement of the verification exercise.

According to him, the exercise will last for just two weeks assuring that a worker will be paid his salary immediately he is verified to be a bonafide civil servant in the state.

Adamu Gumba also said that the Committee has co-opted experts in accounting and civil service to help in the discharge of the duties diligently.

He promised that the exercise will be once and for all appealing to genuine workers whose salaries were withheld following the verification to exercise patience assuring that they would be paid immediately after the exercise.

“Once you are verified as a bonafide civil servant, you will be paid. This government never intended to witch-hunt anyone. But the exercise is meant to rid the state of ghost workers.” He assured.

It will be recalled that over 41, 000 workers in the state were earmarked for verification due to alleged non-submission of their Bank Verification Numbers to the government even as their October salaries have been withheld as a result of the development.

But the verification Committee Chairman asserted that the verification was not meant to victimize the workers or inflict hardship on them but to fish out ghost workers on government’s payroll.

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In the same vein, it has been clarified that the recent step taken by the Bauchi state government to verify the BVN of all workers on its payroll was meant to fish out all ghost workers in the service stealing money every month.

The clarification according to Bauchi state chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) became necessary in order to correct the insinuation by members of the opposition in the state that the PDP led administration is out to retrench the workers.

The PDP, which spoke through its Publicity Secretary, Yayanuwa Zainabri also exonerated Governor Bala Mohammed for setting up a committee to verify workers in the state especially those without Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).

The PDP while reacting to the matter in an interview with Journalists asserted that “the verification was not meant to victimize the workers or inflict hardship on them but to fish out ghost workers on government’s payroll.”

According to him, despite retirement and deaths of some civil servants in the state, the number keep increasing always causing more liabilities to the government even though new workers have not been employed.

Yayanuwa Zainabari lamented that the continuous increase in the number of ghost workers in the state is worrisome hence it is imperative for the Governor to embark on the verification exercise.

He promised that the exercise will be once and for all appealing to genuine workers whose salaries were withheld following the verification to exercise patience assuring that they would be paid immediately after the exercise.

“Once you submit your Bank Verification Number and you are verified as a bonafide civil servant, you will be paid. This government never intended to witch-hunt anyone. But the exercise is meant to rid the state of ghost workers”. He said.

The PDP publicity secretary also used the forum to thank governor Bala Mohammed for considering true party men for political appointments.