FG discovers 23,846 ghost workers saves N2.3Bn monthly

No fewer than 23, 846 ghost workers have been removed from the Federal Government payroll, thus saving about N2.293 billion monthly, an amount formerly paid to the non-existent workers, The federal ministry of Finance has said.
In a statement Yesterday, Minister of finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun through her Special Adviser, Mr. Festus Akanbi, said; “this figure represents a percentage of the number of non-existent workers who had hitherto been receiving salary from various ministries, departments and agencies”.
Adeosun said the recovery was achieved through the Bank Verification Numbers, BVN-based staff audit and enrolment to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.
The BVN audit has also reduced the list of military pensioners by 19,203. “The Military Pension Board has revised the amount payable for its due pension contributions on a monthly basis by N575million, following its annual verification exercise for military retirees. This reduced the number of pensioners by 19,203 as a result of deaths since the last verification exercise in 2012,” the statement said.
He said that more investigations were on-going in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
“The Federal Government is also taking actions to pursue recovery of salary balances in bank accounts as well as any pension contributions in respect of the deleted workers. This involves active collaboration with the concerned banks and the National Pension Commission, PenCom.

“Due to the fact that personnel costs represent over 40 per cent of total government expenditure, the Federal Government will continue to strengthen its payroll controls. It plans to undertake periodic checks and to utilise computer Assisted audit techniques under its new continuous audit programme.
“This will ensure that all payments are accurate and valid. Requirements for new entrants joining the Federal Civil Service have also been enhanced to prevent the introduction of fictitious employees in future.
“The ongoing exercise, which is part of the cost-saving and anti-corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, is key to funding the deficit in the 2016 budget, as savings made will ultimately reduce the amount to be borrowed.”
Adeosun explained that the Federal Government would not accede to the request of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, that its members be co-opted into the panel investigating the cases of indicted civil servants because the investigations were of a criminal nature and would, therefore, be handled by the appropriate investigative agencies. Thanks for reading.

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