Bauchi State Exposes Over 3,000 Fraudulent Workers on Payroll

The Bauchi State Government announced the detection and removal of over 3,000 ghost workers from its payroll, leading to a financial saving of more than N4 billion.

This revelation came during a special meeting of the State Economic Management Council, which was chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed at the Government House in Bauchi.

In a briefing with reporters after the meeting, the head of the Bauchi State Civil Service, Muhammad Sani Umar, along with the governor's chief economic adviser, Yahuza Adamu Ningi, explained that the council evaluated the state's salary administration system.

Ningi elaborated that the government, in collaboration with Onyx Investment Advisory Limited—a consulting firm—carried out an extensive audit of the payroll that facilitated the identification and elimination of ghost workers.

"We assumed responsibility for salary disbursement from a consulting firm in August 2024. At that time, complaints were rampant, but since this review has been completed, we have not received any issues," Ningi noted.

He further conveyed that the newly implemented system successfully tackled the ghost worker problem, yielding a recovery of N4.16 billion that was previously lost to fraudulent payroll practices.

Furthermore, Umar revealed that the council sanctioned the allocation of monthly stipends to imams of Juma’at mosques and pastors of churches throughout the state.

He mentioned that these stipends will be distributed regardless of denominational affiliations and that the final phase would involve assessing the economic and financial impacts prior to actualizing the payouts.

Umar stated that providing stipends to imams and pastors aims to bolster social harmony and support religious leaders within Bauchi State.

In contrast, the Bauchi State branch of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) cautioned the government against politicizing religion through the proposed monthly allowances for imams and pastors across the state.

In an official statement issued by its secretary, Wada Abdullahi, the party acknowledged the essential role of religious leaders in fostering peace and moral standards, while expressing a firm request for the Bauchi State Government to avoid political maneuvers concerning religion.