Govt To Cut Costs, Check Ghost Workers

BAYELSA State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has said his government would embark on moves aimed at reducing a bloated civil service and high wage bill.
The governor stated this while briefing reporters after a meeting with the Head of Service and Permanent Secretaries at Government House, Yenagoa.
He said that apart from the incidence of ghost workers in the civil service, other problems include people receiving undeserved salaries and holding of multiple employments.
He lamented that these problems have shot up the state’s monthly wage bill to a staggering N5.4b, pointing out that the trend has gravely undermined the capacity of the administration to carry out its statutory functions.
“There are people who have no business being on the nominal roll who are receiving salaries,” he said. “Others receive multiple salaries, while some under-aged and people above 60 years also have their names on the nominal roll.  This has brought the wage bill to N5.4b and this is clearly unacceptable.
“It is pertinent to add that this figure of N5.4b does not include emoluments of political appointees; just civil servants alone. We must do everything to stop this unhealthy development, so that we can free resources tied to this nefarious activities and channel same to infrastructural development.”
To this end, Governor Dickson directed that henceforth, Permanent Secretaries and Accountants in the various ministries would take full responsibility for identification of their staff and preparation of salary vouchers.
The governor, who vowed to restore the lost glory of the state civil service, warned that permanent secretaries would be held responsible for any ghost name that finds its way into their vouchers.
Some ministries have been merged, others split and new ones created, raising the state’s ministry profile from 21 to 26.