GOVERNOR Hope Uzodinma of Imo State on Thursday ordered the publication of those who he claimed fraudulently exploited the payroll system in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The governor, who stated that there is no going back on the state’s probing the state’s payroll system, said the government uncovered fraud and also discovered ghost workers.
A statement issued by the state government reported the governor to have addressed the Executive Council on the fraud in the payroll system, revealing that some workers in the state concurrently earn salaries and pensions.
The governor’s allegation is coming just days after the state’s workers blocked the entrance to the Imo State Government House in protest over going unpaid for several months.
The governor reportedly stated: “We met a total of 54,355 workers in Imo State, both state and local. In January 2020, a salary of 3.5 billion was paid. We have verified and cleared a total of 42,845 workers in Imo State and they are been paid their salaries up to date.
“There is a difference of 11,480; but out of this, 10,533 are ghost workers and those who have not been paid are 947, with their names and the reasons they have not been paid. I have on several occasions asked civil servants who have not been paid to come up with their credentials but only a few turned up.
“A few days ago, protesters came to the government house gate to protest none payment of salaries. It is interesting to know that their names were all collected, and out of those names, 99 per cent have already been paid. Those sending them are the beneficiaries of the ghost workers and if you continue to join them to protest, I will charge you to court.
“The 947 people not paid are those who mutilated their BVN, some earning salaries and pensions at the same time, and a lot more frauds that have been uncovered. Those of you who have earned double salaries; we have put a hold on your salaries. It is deliberate and you have to come and explain why you were receiving salaries at Ihitte Uboma and receiving at Polytechnic. You have to tell us why you are receiving pension and receiving a salary at the same time.
“947 of you, if you like, lie naked on the road, if you don’t come to the data centre or the Head of the Service and explain yourself, I am sorry; we are not going to payroll you.
“Those who came on protest after they have been paid, I’m going to publish their names tomorrow for Imo People to know that they have been paid. 947 civil servants with some discrepancies, I will also publish their names so that Imo people will know why you have not been paid.
“These over 10,000 names that were captured duplicating their names and receiving double salaries at the local government level and were illegally employed without any record or file will not be pay-rolled. If you are ready to fight, we will fight back but we cannot allow you to defraud the government. I will inform the Civil Service Commission that those people were not employed.
“Those of you who were employed as drivers and went behind and converted their steps to become average workers and health workers, we have dropped your names because you have been earning money under the special package CONHENSS and agric workers when you know that you are not agric workers.
“If you catch me where I steal as a governor, publish my name and if I catch you, I will publish your name. We now have an automated nominal roll of every civil servant in the state. Only those that are cleared will be paid.
“Once you retire, your name is transferred to the pension payroll system, no need for authentication anymore. Government cannot pay gratuity as we have a burden of 58 Billion of 20 years of backlog. We are going to migrate to the new pensions system called contributory pensions.
“Somebody paid for the buses they use in coming for the protest, but if they want to help you, they should call the toll free numbers, go to the data centre or the Head of Service.
“Before we came in, the payroll system was handled by a consultant in Lagos with a lot of fraud but we have come to return dignity to the civil service. There is no room for free lunch anymore, if you didn’t work for the government, government will not pay you but if you work for government, the government is under duty to pay you.
“On that note, I will give the commissioner for Information these names to publish tomorrow. Every civil servant has a social benefit number IMSBEN, if you don’t have that number; it means you are not a worker.
“If you know you are a worker you don’t have the number, ask your head of department. Our problem is not payment of salaries but Imo civil service was excluded from governance and we are here to reintegrate you back into the system.”
