A verification panel set up by the Bauchi State Government to verify the authenticity of the workers Bank Verification Number (BVN) has discovered 596 deceased workers on the payroll of the government.

While briefing the press on Monday, the Chairman of the Panel, Sen. Adamu Gumba, said “in the process of this exercise, we discovered that 596 deceased officers are on the government payroll.

“However, we have immediately recommended to the state government that their names should be removed from pension and the state payroll.

Gumba also said that the committee discovered that 30,276 state workers were suspected to be without BVN contrary to the initial figure of 41,448 suspected by the state government before the committee was set up.

He revealed that out of the 30,276 people, the committee has verified and cleared 24,736 during the verification exercise.

“Out of the 30,276 people suspected to be without BVN, 24,736 people have been verified and cleared by the committee and their salaries and pensions would be paid.

“However, we’ve not been able to clear 256 staff and despite the extension of time that we have waited for officers to come for the verification exercise, 4,578 consisting of both staff and pensioners refused to show up.

“Those that decided not to appear, we may not know, but clearly, they are suspects of ghost workers,” said the chairman.

Gumba said the exercise was done in two segments and people who were verified and cleared in each segment were recommended for payment of their October, November and December salaries and pensions.

He revealed that the committee has also presented the third segment to the state governor who has, in turn, approved the payment of the said salaries and pensions to the people cleared. (The Guardian)

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