Workers collecting double salaries to face prosecution, says Benue

Benue State Government says it will drag senior civil servants fingered in double dipping and multiple salaries to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation and prosecution.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said this on Friday when he received members of the Correspondents’ Chapel in the state, led by its chairman, Emmanuel Antswen, in his office.

The state government on Thursday disclosed that the staff audit it carried out uncovered about 2,500 ghost workers, noting that there were ghost schools, double-dipping incidents, unlawful employment, salary padding, payment to dead and retired individuals, among other infractions in the state.

Tersoo, who said accountability and transparency remained the hallmark of the present administration, noted that people should not be taken aback when anti-graft agencies began inviting senior civil servants for questioning.

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He said during the first phase of the staff audit, it was discovered that many senior civil servants were collecting salaries from three different places; the state government, local government and the Universal Basic Education Board.

He added, “We already know some of them and they have been removed from the entire payroll. We are waiting for them to report that they have not been paid and that would be them reporting themselves. Those who were collecting double salaries as senior staff will be handed over to the EFCC for investigation and possible prosecution.”

Tersoo expressed optimism that the ongoing exercise would expose more people  behind the racketeering in the civil service and that perpetrators would be made to answer for their crimes.

Meanwhile, the governor said the state saved N1.2bn on its monthly wage bill as a result of the staff verification exercise.

Speaking on Friday evening during an extraordinary stakeholders meeting of the All Progressives Congress, in the state, Alia stated, “After the first phase of the forensic, for those in the classrooms and the local government, we discovered over 2,500 ghost workers and schools and removed them. By this, government saved N1.2bn.

“So, what used to go to ghost schools and ghost workers which stood at N1.6bn, government has brought it down to N800m.

The governor said teachers whose two months salaries were being delayed as a result of the audit had started receiving credit alerts.

The governor who lamented the merciless looting in government before now said the committee would continue its duties until all those milking the state were identified and made to return what they took from the government.