In a significant development, the Abia State government has successfully removed 2,300 ghost workers from its payroll, resulting in savings exceeding N200 million on the monthly wage bill.
This achievement is a result of the ongoing verification process conducted on civil servants and other public workers in the state.
Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, issued a statement confirming this noteworthy accomplishment.
The state’s Accountant General, Njum Onyemenam, disclosed that the implementation of a unified payment system facilitated these savings.
It was also confirmed that the payment of April salaries to workers and June pensions to retirees has already been disbursed.
The statement reads:
“ABIA IDENTIFIES 2,300 GHOST NAMES ON PAYROLL, SAVES OVER N200 MILLION MONTHLY
“The Abia State Government says it has saved over N200 million on monthly wage bill following ongoing verification of civil servants and other public workers in the state.
“State Accountant General, Deaconess Njum Onyemenam, said the huge savings was made using a unified payment system.
“Onyemenam, who spoke Monday after a meeting with the state Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, said the verification exercise was still ongoing and that the government hopes to make more savings.
“So far, we have been able to save N220 million from the ongoing verification of workers in the state, local governments and pensioners.
“Not less than 2,300 ghost names have been weeded out of the payrolls, using the unified payment system and we hope to still identify more as we continue with the exercise.”
She confirmed that following Governor Otti’s directive, government had last week paid the arrears of April salaries, left behind by the immediate past administration and also June pensions to retirees.
Also, local government staff, who had been skipped when the June salaries were paid, due to their failure to submit their verified payment schedule, will receive their salaries this week.
