Bauchi State Government said it has saved the state over N4 billion by removing over 3,000 ghost workers from its payroll.
This discovery was made during an extraordinary meeting of the State Economic Management Council chaired by the state Governor, Bala Mohammed at the Government House, Bauchi.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the head of the Bauchi State Civil Service, Muhammad Sani Umar, alongside the chief economic adviser to the governor, Yahuza Adamu Ningi, said the council reviewed the state’s salary administration process.
Ningi explained that the government, working with a consulting firm, Onyx Investment Advisory Limited, conducted a comprehensive payroll audit that led to the identification and removal of the ghost workers.
He added that the new system effectively addressed the ghost worker syndrome, resulting in savings of N4.16 billion previously lost to fraudulent payroll practices.
“By August 2024, we took over salary payment from a consulting firm. At the time, the process was riddled with complaints, but since this exercise was concluded, there have been no complaints,” Ningi said.
Meanwhile, Umar disclosed that the council also approved the payment of monthly stipends to imams of Juma’at mosques and pastors of churches across the state.
He said the stipends will be paid irrespective of religious sects or denominations, adding that the final step would be to work out the economic and financial implications for implementation.
Umar noted that the payment of stipends to imams and pastors is aimed at strengthening social cohesion and supporting religious leaders across Bauchi State.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), has warned the state government to desist from politicising religion under the pretext of payment of monthly allowances to imams and pastors across the state.
In a statement signed by its state secretary, Wada Abdullahi, the party noted that while it acknowledged the vital roles religious leaders play in promoting peace, as well as moral values, it strongly urged the Bauchi State Government to desist from politicising religion.