Jigawa State Government have uncovered about 7,000 ghost workers in the state. Consequently, they have been removed from the state’s payroll.
This was revealed by the Commissioner for Finance, Hannatu Sabo, during a press briefing in Dutse when marking the two years of Governor Umar Namadi.
According to the commissioner, those identified as ghost workers never appeared for verification, hence they were removed from the state’s payroll.
Mrs Sabo said, “The fake employees were removed from the payroll as they failed to report for the verification exercise.”
“The government’s commitment to transparency and accountability has also been demonstrated through the verification exercise and the removal of ghost workers from the payroll.”
She emphasised that the exercise was an arm of the larger strategy of the government to clean the civil service and exterminate false salary claims.
It also injected new blood into the J-Health, J-Teach, and J-Agro schemes, all of which are designed to rebuild the sectors of healthcare, education, and agriculture.
“The Jigawa State Government’s efforts to eliminate ghost workers and streamline its workforce demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability,” she stressed
“The exercise also led to the recruitment of new employees under the J-Health, J-Teach, and J-Agro programmes,” she added.
The commissioner explained that Jigawa remains one of the very few states completely implementing the new salary scale, making it one of the highest-paying states in Nigeria, and added that the state government is now receiving higher monthly allocation from the Federal Government, which would further enhance revenue generation and fast-track developmental projects.
In terms of salary payment, she said the government does so promptly; hence, civil servants are paid before the 25th of each month as directed by the governor.
On investment, the Commissioner said the government has taken over the private Khadija University operating in Majia and now holds some equity in the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
She added that the government seeks to elevate revenue generation in the state and establish a better state, being in education and electricity supply.
“The purchase of Khadija University and the acquisition of shares in KEDCO are expected to boost the state’s revenue and improve the quality of education and electricity supply. The government’s support for microfinance banks will also provide financial services to more citizens, especially in rural areas.”
According to Mrs. Kauni, the administration has equally stepped up support to microfinance institutions and has plans to open bank branches in local government areas that currently lack access to banking services.
