Sokoto uncovers 1,370 ghost workers, saves N1.6 billion for State

By ISMAIL UMAR, Sokoto

The Sokoto State government has from October last year to May, 2020 saved over N1.647,657,430.86 billion as a result of its fishing out of multiple ghost workers, child workers and employment offer selling racket undertaken by the state government under the auspices of the State Ministry of Finance.

In a statement issued to Journalists in Sokoto by Governor Tambuwal Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Bello, it said during the seven months period, from October 2019 to May 2020, when the amount was realized, 1370 ghost workers were unmasked.

The development was revealed in a report presented to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal by the Committee on Harmonised Sokoto State Staff list at Government House, Sokoto.

Receiving the report, Governor Tambuwal, applauded the efforts of the committee for saving that much for the state.

He also directed that the same exercise be conducted simultaneously on local government staff in Tambuwal, Kware and Sokoto North local government areas of the state.

He said the aim of the exercise was to harmonise the payroll system of the state workforce.

According to him, on his assumption of office in 2015 while interacting with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state, he noticed that the state’s data base of civil servants was inaccurate.

As a result, the Governor noted his administration has since then introduced various methods to come up with accurate data in that regard.

Governor Tambuwal said the exercises embarked upon that were intended to sanitise the salary system were not directed at witch hunting anybody, but to harmonise the civil servants payroll system in the state.

This feat, he pointed out, has now placed the State among those leading system in the operation of automated payroll system in the country.

Biometric capture of staff

Earlier, in his address the out-going Head of Civil Service of the State, Dr Buhari Bello Kware, said the State total staff strength is 29,583 as at 31 March 2020.

Dr Kware said the number comprise of 12,303 junior staff on grades level 01-06,17,085 Senior officers on grade level 07 and above; and 195 public/ political office holders .

He said so many attempts were made in the past by successive administrations to ensure that a common, comprehensive and reliable data base of the state work force was evolved, but none succeeded until Governor Tambuwal assumed office in 2015.

He added that since then a number of methods have been employed to deliver results based on the Governor’s directives that Bank Verification Number (BVN) should be captured in addition to Biometric staff census up to the current payroll sanitisation exercise.

He also commended the state Commissioner of Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki, and Staff of his Ministry for the accomplishment of the task and other various reforms that are currently going on in the state financial/economic sector of the state.

Transparency and accountability

Also in his address, the Commissioner of Finance, Mr Abdulsamad Dasuki, said in order to ensure transparency and accountability in the discharge of its duties, the Ministry has created a website where all the verified pictures of the staff payroll will be posted on monthly basis.

Mr Dasuki also urged civil servants in the state to make it their personal responsibility to scrutinise, monitor and blow the whistle whenever anything suspicious is noted on the website.

The Commissioner also urged them to continue to cooperate with government policies and programmes for effective services delivery in the State. (VON)