No fewer than 6,280 ghost workers and pensioners have been identified by the Local
Government Staff and Pensioner Audit Committee set up by the Governor of Enugu.
The ghost workers will be probed by the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other
related offences Commission.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr
Ogbuagu Anikwe, disclosed this on Saturday
in Enugu while briefing journalists on the
outcome of the State Executive Council
meeting held on Friday night.
Anike said that the committee was able to
discover a total of 6,280 ghost workers and
pensioners at the end of the exercise. He
gave the breakdown as 2,818 ghost
workers in the nominal roll of local
government councils’ staff and another
3,462 ghost pensioners.
“A committee headed by the speaker of the
state house of assembly discovered 2,818
ghost workers in the nominal roll of local
government council’s staff and another
3,462 ghost pensioners,” he said.
He said that the ghost workers and
pensioners had been weeded out from the
nominal rolls of local government councils
and pensions board.
The commissioner said that the State
Executive Council had authorised the
Commissioner for Local Government Matters
to hand over verified list of workers and
pensioners to appropriate quarters.
Anikwe said that the governor also directed
the committee to fish out the particulars of
the ghost workers and pensioners and to
send same to the ICPC for further probe.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu had
directed that the particulars of the affected
individuals that defrauded the state over the
years should be revealed and forwarded to
the commission.
The state government had earlier set up the
committee headed by the speaker of the
state house of assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi
to look into the matter.
The committee was to verify local
government workers and pensioners with a
view to strengthening the accounting
system of the various councils and pensions
board.
