Kogi Loses N213bn To Ghost Workers – Audit Committee

Yahaya-Bello-of-Kogi-State-e1468169251443

In a stakeholders briefing yesterday, the audit committee of the Kogi State Government disclosed that the state lost N213,036 billion to ghost workers in 16 years.

Governor Yahaya Bello, who was at the briefing yesterday, decried the huge sum lost to the ghost workers’ syndrome insisting that his administration had put a permanent stop to the menace.

The Governor explained that the screening was the first layer of civil service reform, embarked on by his administration, adding that he was determined to reposition the civil service to play a vital role of facilitator in the economic drive in the state.

However, the governor has set up a review committee to entertain complains that may arise from the screening exercise.

The Auditor General, Yusuf Okala who presented the reports, said before the screening exercise, the state and Local Governments staff strength stood at 88,973 with a monthly wage bill of N5.8 billion, adding that the unintended beneficiaries discovered in the screening were 18,211 ghost workers.