BIG NEWS: Abia State Exposes Massive Payroll Scandal, Eliminates 2,300 Ghost Workers
Abia State Finds Huge Payroll Problem, Removes 2,300 Fake Employees
Mary Nwaeze 
In a remarkable development, the Abia State government has made a significant breakthrough in identifying and removing 2,300 phantom employees from its payroll. This has led to an extraordinary monthly saving of more than N200 million. The discovery is a direct outcome of the ongoing verification process for civil servants and other public workers in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Kazie Uko, announced this development in a statement released on Monday. The state, utilizing a unified payment system, efficiently removed these fictitious employees, commending the state's Accountant General, Njum Onyemenam, for spearheading the initiative that exposed the ghost workers.
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In the statement titled "Abia identifies 2,300 ghost names on payroll, saves over N200 million monthly," Uko highlighted the significant accomplishment:
“The Abia State Government has saved over N200 million on the monthly wage bill following ongoing verification of civil servants and other public workers in the state.
“State Accountant General, Deaconess Njum Onyemenam, said the huge savings were made using a unified payment system.
“Onyemenam, who spoke Monday after a meeting with the state Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, said the verification exercise was still ongoing and that the government hopes to make more savings.
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“So far, we have been able to save N220 million from the ongoing verification of workers in the state, local governments, and pensioners.
“Not less than 2,300 ghost names have been weeded out of the payrolls, using the unified payment system, and we hope to still identify more as we continue with the exercise.
“Following Governor Otti’s directive, the government had last week paid the arrears of April salaries, left behind by the immediate past administration, and also June pensions to retirees.
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“Also, local government staff, who had been skipped when the June salaries were paid due to their failure to submit their verified payment schedule, will receive their salaries this week."
This revelation underscores the commitment of the Abia State government to financial transparency and accountability, as it takes decisive action to rectify the payroll irregularities and ensure efficient use of public funds.
