Zamfara shocked by ghost workers, says it can’t determine number of civil servants
On Thursday, November 14, the Zamfara State government expressed concern over what it described as an alarming number of ghost workers in the state’s civil service, particularly in the health and education sectors. The situation, officials say, has become troubling and difficult to manage.
Barrister Ahmad Liman, the State Head of Service (HoS), revealed that the exact number of civil servants in the state remains unknown due to the widespread presence of ghost workers. Speaking to reporters in Gusau, Liman explained that a verification exercise is currently underway to address the issue.
He shared an example of a disturbing discovery in one hospital, where 22 health workers were receiving salaries, but only two were found to be genuine employees. “The verification revealed that only two out of the 22 health workers were legitimate,” Liman said, highlighting the scale of the problem.
The ongoing verification exercise is expected to be completed by the end of November 2024. Once finished, a salary committee will be formed to finalize the state’s civil servant payroll and ensure that only legitimate workers receive payment.
Liman, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee overseeing the verification, noted that the current administration inherited several unresolved issues from the previous government. One major issue uncovered during the exercise was the faulty implementation of the 2019 minimum wage of N30,000.
“Once the verification and salary committees submit their reports, the state government will move forward with implementing the new minimum wage of N70,000 for legitimate workers,” he added. “However, we cannot implement the new wage until we are sure of the exact number of civil servants in the state.”
The government is working diligently to clean up the payroll system and ensure that the right people are paid, but officials stress that resolving this issue is key before any wage increases can be implemented.
