Delta to recover N12.319b from ghost workers ―Okowa

DELTA State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Monday, hinted that N12. 319 billion will be recovered from ghost workers and falsification of records of service by public servants in the state.

This is just as the governor has directed that the names of over 530 staff, who falsified their retirement ages or refused to appear before the Verification Committee on Age Discrepancy and Date of Birth and Employment of Public Officers in Delta State, be expunged from the payroll of the state.

Governor Okowa, while receiving the final report from Chief Nkem Okwuofu chairman of the committee in Asaba, decried falsification of documents and laxity in the part of those who aid and abet such actions in the public service.

He expressed dissatisfaction at the connivance of staff in the falsification and handling of records, especially those of the dead and the retired.

He directed the office of the Head of Service to take appropriate disciplinary actions against the Heads and Directors of affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies as a deterrent to others.

“It is quite unfortunate that at this point in time we are still dealing with this situation in our public service where people can still voluntarily work with other people to change their date of birth and date of appointment and it is something that all of us must frown at.

“I frown at such and I believe that the public service and its management must continuously frown at such an act because it is not possible for any staff to unilaterally change his or her date of birth or appointment, so obviously there is a collusion in the entire system and it worries me that at this point in time, this is still ongoing, ” the worried governor declared.

According to him, the “Head of Service, with effect from today, the 402 absentees have to be disengaged from the payroll completely and the people that are due to retire must be expunged from the payroll between today and tomorrow.

“We cannot continue to tolerate this; it is very unfortunate that we continue to see people who are dead and are still receiving salaries.

“It is very unsettling and I do not know what the reporting system is; when someone is dead, he/she is dead and the name must be removed immediately,” Senator Okowa insisted.

Tribune Online reports that chairman of the verification committee, Chief Okwuofu, while presenting the report, disclosed that 4, 742 persons were screened, out of which 1, 695 were cleared, 137 were asked to proceed on retirement, 810 had their dates of birth and employment corrected and 2,085 verified and affirmed while 402 were absent.

She disclosed that the total financial gains from the exercise for the state government totals N12,319,762,921.20.