Ghost workers: Bauchi govt sets up investigative committee

Determined to get to the root of the incessant discovery of ghost workers in the Civil service, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has constituted a 17 Man Committee to investigate the reason for the non-possession of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) by 41, 448 Workers and Pensioners in the state.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Comrade Muktar Gidado who disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the Government House Bauchi said that Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba is the Chairman of the committee.

Comrade Muktar Gidado also listed members of the committee as the Governor’s Special Adviser on Civil Service, Mr Abdon Dalla Gin, representative of the State Civil Service Commission, representative of the State Accountant General, Chairman, Bauchi State House of Assembly Committee on Public Service, Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, and Executive Chairman , Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

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Others he said are representative of the Auditor General both that of the State and Local Government, representative of the State Commissioner of Police, representative of the Director, Department of State Services, State NLC Chairman, and State TUC Chairman.

The rest according to the Governor’s Media Aide are, the State Chairman, Negotiation Joint Council, State Chairman Nigeria Union of Local Employees, State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers while Director Establishment, Office of the Head of Civil Service is to serve as Secretary of the Committee.

Muktar Gidado said the terms of reference for the committee is to ascertain whether those without the BVN are bonafide Staff and Pensioners of the state government and to identify why they were being paid without the Bank Verification Numbers.

Other terms of reference for the committee is to identify Government and Bank officials involved in the perpetration of these infractions and recommend appropriate sections against the officials.

He noted that, in the course of its assignment, the committee should recommend to the state government for the payment of their salaries and pensions those cleared as having duly authentic BVN and make any recommendations incidental to their assignment.

The Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media who said the committee was mandated to submit its report within two weeks, called on all the affected Civil Servants and Pensioners to support the committee to ensure a hitch-free and timely completion of the assignment.