Audit panel discovers 3,916 ghost workers in Enugu

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

An audit panel set up by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State to conduct staff audit bio metric capturing exercise in the 17 local government councils in the state has discovered a total of 3,916 ghost workers in the system.

Presenting the report to the governor recently, the chairman of the panel and the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Edward Ubosi also disclosed that a total of N161, 494, 570 only, found to be the difference in the wage bill after the exercise, has been saved.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, Ubosi said; “From the above, the sum of N64, 882, 033 and N96, 612, 337.20 from local government staff gross salaries and teacher salaries respectively should be regarded as monthly savings.”
While receiving the report, Ugwuanyi said it would go a long way in helping the state in the on going efforts to track down ghost workers in the state public service.

The committee made a total of 26 recommendations for consideration by the government among which are the removal of all those staff in the system found out to have falsified their ages, those in capacitated by ill health, those employed contrary to the rule f civil service and those found to be impersonators in the system.

It also recommended that more teachers be engaged in the primary schools in the state and general posting for local government staff after the bio metric capturing exercise to re-engineer more discipline in the system.