Abdon Gin
ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
A Committee set up by Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed to authenticate civil servants without the mandatory Bank Verification Number (BVN) said it has uncovered 312 dead local government pensioners on the nominal and payroll of the government.
A member of the Verification Committee, Abdon Gin, who disclosed this at a press conference held at the State Secretariat on Wednesday, said that the nine deceased pensioners were also discovered in the state pension payroll.
He said that the state government has saved over N91,404,296.19 from the pension of these deceased discovered.
Gin who is also the special adviser to the Bauchi state governor on Civil Service Affairs said: “The committee discovered 312 deceased local government on the pensioners on the nominal and payroll. The monthly value is N9,921,511.48. They have been permanently removed from both the nominal roll and payroll.
“Also, the committee discovered nine deceased state pensioners from the nominal and payroll. The monthly value is N234,521.91 They have been permanently removed from both the nominal roll and payroll.
“The Committee discovered 48 deceased Local Government staff were discovered during the physical verification who were in the government payroll were discovered and removed. This was costing the government N1,999,803.90 monthly.
“During the verification exercise, 112 State and 284 Local Governments employees (including LEAs and PHCs) were not cleared by the Committee due to death, overaged/due for retirement, failed to appear for physical verification or abscondment.”
According to him, 396 ghost workers in both the state and local governments were also discovered in the payroll of the government.
He said from the 29,000 workers verified, the government was able to save N225,509,737.56 from the verification and implementation exercise, from the period of October 2019 to June, 2020.
He added that 23 state and local government staff to be illegal replacements which was costing the government N669,479.57 monthly were discovered and removed from the payroll.
The Special Adviser disclosed that 11 civil servants were discovered through their July – September, 2019 Bank Statements to be collecting double salaries on Government payroll. The Committee has recommended them to the Head of Civil Service to discipline them accordingly.
“Four civil servants discovered through their July – September, 2019 Bank Statements to be collecting salaries from the State and other Organizations. The Head of Civil Service is to discipline them accordingly.
“Three civil servants discovered through their July – September, 2019 Bank Statements to be collecting salaries from the State and the N-Power programme. The Head of Civil Service to discipline them accordingly,” he stated.
Gin said that the Committee also discovered and removed from the payroll 83 Local Government staff who had exited the Service but still active on the payroll costing the Government N3,546,271.24 monthly.
He added that 11 State Civil Servants who had exited the Service but still active on the payroll costing the Government N1,366,077.02 monthly were discovered and removed from the payroll.
The Special Adviser lamented that the lack of punishment of culprits in the past was responsible for the recurrence of such corrupt practices.
Gin said: “Lack of punishment is the reason for the continuous perpetration of these people and we must punish them this time around.
“We want the be meticulous in the punishment and we will use the civil service rules to do that and if the offence is so severe, such will be dismissed from the service.”