The Abia State Government has made significant progress in its efforts to clean up its payroll system, discovering 2,300 ghost workers and saving over N220 million on monthly wage bills. This achievement comes as a result of the ongoing verification of civil servants and other public workers in the state.
Deaconess Njum Onyemenam, the State Accountant General, shared the positive outcome after a meeting with Governor Dr. Alex Otti. She confirmed that the unified payment system played a crucial role in identifying and weeding out the ghost names from the payrolls, leading to substantial savings for the state.
Onyemenam also revealed that the verification exercise is still ongoing, and the government is hopeful of making even more savings as it continues with the process. As part of the state’s commitment to its workforce, Governor Otti directed that the arrears of April salaries left behind by the previous administration and June pensions for retirees be paid promptly.
Furthermore, the Accountant General assured that local government staff, who had been omitted from the June salary payments due to their failure to submit their verified payment schedule, will receive their salaries this week. The government’s effort to ensure transparency and accountability in the payroll system is aimed at promoting efficient financial management and better allocation of resources for the benefit of the state and its workers.
