Delta State Government Promises to Fish out Ghost Workers in the State
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa says Delta Government has put machinery in place to fish-out ghost workers from its 66,000 workforce.
The governor said this when he presented his First Year Performance Report in Asaba on Monday.
He said his administration inherited between 66,000 and 68,000 workforce which he described as huge, given the current economic situation.
He said the decision to fish out the ghost workers was not to retrench workers but to ensure that those working earned their wages.
He, however, appealed to workers to support government to fish out those who were not working but receiving salaries.
"We met staff strength of between 66,000 and 68,000. Our neighbouring Edo State has staff strength of about 21,000. A lot of people are not in this country but they find themselves on our payroll, while many other persons are working elsewhere and they are on our payroll. A policeman has been discovered during promotion interview, to be working and receiving salary as a civil servant with the state government," Okowa said.
On the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the governor said that the state was careful not to make mistakes.
He said there were many other states that had not adopted TSA and that it was not peculiar to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) states.
"We have to understudy it to be sure that we do not make any mistake, we are aware that there are lots of gains in it. We are also aware that we need to apply it rightly; otherwise we will have different challenges. We may be going into a modified TSA," he said.
African ExaminerLG Scribe arrested as Bayelsa LG monthly wage bill drops from N200m to N30m
Posted by Wole OduwoleBayelsa, Latest News, NewsFriday, May 27th, 2016BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The monthly wage bill of Sagbama Local Government in Bayelsa state has dropped from N200 million to N30 million, it was learnt on Friday.
The situation has therefore led to the arrest of the Secretary to the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) in the area over alleged falsification of nominal roll and over bloated wage bill.
Addressing a press conference in Yenagoa, chairman of the caretaker committee of the council, Mr. Michael Magbisa, stated that over eleven fictitious names were discovered on the wage bill.
While attributing the delay in the payment of workers' salaries to fraudulent practices, he said this necessitated the council's decision to embark on staff verification audit from 2007 to 2016.
Magbisa recalled that the last time the LG carried out employment was in 2007, adding that he was shocked to discover fictitious names and backdated employment on the payment vouchers and nominal roll from 2007 to 2016.
Speaking on the staff strength of the education authority, the council boss pointed out that, the education board alone has over 200 staff, with a wage bill of N13.1m in 2012, which has risen to N60.1m in 2016.
He also spoke on the discovery of the anomalies in the payment vouchers, the nominal roll and the huge wage bill, adding that on assumption of office, he decided to audit the number of staff to reduce the huge wage bill.
Magbisa said he was shocked when he demanded for the 2007 to 2016 payment vouchers and nominal roll from the secretary of the education authority, who told him that, the 2012 flood had destroyed all the documents.
According to Mgbisa, he was not convinced, which prompted him to write a memo to the SUBEB secretary concerning the missing documents, adding that, the documents were released to him where he discovered the monumental fraud and anomalies.
On the payment of teachers' salary, Magbisa explained that, by next week Friday, 3rd of June, the audit exercise would have been concluded for the teachers' salaries to be paid.
Already, council workers have been paid their one month salary and the balance of seven months would be paid as soon as the verification exercise is concluded, promising to take drastic action against anyone involved in the fraud discovered, as all the workers are complaining the hardship in the delay in the payment of salaries.
On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 8:43 PM, Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com> wrote:--QUOTE"It will interest you to know that there are some people on the payroll that are residing in Lagos, Abuja and even Ghana and are drawing salaries in Bayelsa. I am not exaggerating, it is happening.UNQUOTEOne hopes that these savings will be properly re-directed, and not used to employ MORE workers to replace the ghost workers.Bolaji AlukoPREMIUM TIMES
Bayelsa uncovers 50 dead people, 765 illegally employed workers in SUBEB payroll
The Bayelsa State government on Thursday said it had uncovered payroll fraud in the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), with the discovery of over 765 illegally employed teachers in the state's local government councils.
Fifty dead persons were also found on the payroll of Ogbia Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) alone, a statement by the state, sent to PREMIUM TIMES, said.
The discovery of illegal workers cut across the eight local government areas, with
1. Ogbia Local Government Education Authority, (LGEA) leading with 230 illegal employees.
Others are
2. Southern Ijaw LGEA (192);
3. Sagbama LGEA (136);
4, Ekeremor LGEA (108);
5. Brass LGEA (9);
6. Nembe LGEA (25);
7. Yenagoa LGEA (25); and
8. Kolokuma/Opokuma LGEA (40).
The Executive Secretary of SUBEB, Walton Liverpool, said on Thursday in Yenagoa that by the end of the verification exercise, the government would be saving over N100 million monthly.
Mr. Liverpool said, "These sets of workers were illegally employed by fraudsters and now parading as civil servants. As you are all aware, since the inception of the present administration, an embargo has been placed on fresh employment, but some people went behind to employ their cronies and backdated it to 2007.
'In the course of our investigation, after cross checking the 2007 nominal roll and vouchers with the recent ones, it was discovered that over 765 names have been infused. This has been the practice of some unscrupulous officers in the LGEAs.
"Some of the affected workers are being aided by the LGEA staff. As I am talking to you now, one of them is cooling off at the State Criminal Investigations Department and more will still be arrested.
"It will interest you to know that there are some people on the payroll that are residing in Lagos, Abuja and even Ghana and are drawing salaries in Bayelsa. I am not exaggerating, it is happening.
"By the time, we conclude this exercise, more names will be discovered. I have my facts; those perpetrating the atrocities are not from the Board Headquarters, but from the LGEAs. With this discovery, the state government has been able to save N100 million from SUBEB alone.
"At the end of the exercise, the state government will save over N100 million from the education sector. As you are all aware, the State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, has directed all the headmasters and principals to prepare their monthly vouchers
On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 6:39 PM, Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com> wrote:My People:43,000 ghost workers - from federal security agencies payroll alone....Bleed, bleed, bleeding.........that is why we must all continue to support the TSA/IPPIS/GIFMIS/BVN comprehensive implementation.....so that "ghost worker" issue can be minimized/elminated once and for all....Minister Adeosun gets it.....Bolaji Aluko
FG discovers 43,000 ghost workers, saves N50bn
The Head of the Continuous Audit team of the Federal Government, Mr Mohammed Dikwa, on Tuesday said N50 billion was saved so far through the audit of security agencies payroll.
Dikwa said this in Abuja at a meeting between the Continuous Audit team, Minister of Finance and Heads of Para-Military agencies to discuss ways to clean up the payroll of the security agencies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that President Mohammadu Buhari had set up the Continuous Audit team to look into the payroll of all Federal Government's Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The team had already embarked on the audit of the Military payroll and enrolling them on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
"Since we started the continuous audit programme, we have saved about N50 billion and over 43,000 ghost workers have been removed from the payroll of the federal government.
"And as we go on, we are very sure that we will continue to reduce the cost of federal government payroll.
"Please note the cost is not related to ghost workers alone but with allowances which we believe have to be trimmed down so that we can manage the cost of governance,'' he said.
Dikwa said that the officers from the account departments of all the para-militray agencies were currently undergoing training on IPPIS and the Government Management Information System (GIFMIS)
He said the plan was to have all the agencies enrolled on the IPPIS and GIFMIS at the end of the month once the training was completed.
Similarly, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, said the audit of the para-military payroll would focus mainly on non-regular allowances of security officers.
She said initial investigations had revealed that these allowances had created avenues for unscrupulous persons within the system to steal money.
"The president has given the directive that all ministries and agencies of the Federal Government be enrolled on the IPPIS latest December, 2016.
"This meeting is to discuss the modalities of how this will be achieved; specifically, there are number of allowances described as the non-regular allowances.
"We have to make sure that these non-regular allowances are paid directly to those who are serving. And the best way to do that is through an automated system.
"This system will be linked to BVN so the money is going to specific individuals rather than being diverted elsewhere.
"Whoever is paid irregular allowances for hazard, risk or other extraneous factors, it is important that the money gets to them.
"The people taking the risk should be paid, otherwise the service they are expected to render will be in jeopardy,'' she said.
Adeosun said that one of the advantages of the IPPIS was that delays in payment of salaries and allowances of security personnel would be a thing of the past.
She reassured members that the details gathered through the IPPIS would be kept safe so that identities of security operatives would not be compromised.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Mr Bassey Akpanyung, pledged the ministry's support to ensure that all the security agencies under its control complied for the success of the process.
NAN reports that heads of Customs, Immigration, Prisons, Police, Fire Service and Civil Defence were present at the meeting.
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