“We’ll not allow ghost or imaginary workers on payroll – Gombe gov’t
“We’ll not allow ghost or imaginary workers on payroll – Gombe gov’t
Gombe state government says it has introduced several reforms in the state civil service system to cleanse and get rid of the ghost and imaginary workers on its payroll.
The reform which was mostly in the Local Government Area (LGA) service was to ensure full implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage in the LGA of the state.
Speaking to newsmen in Gombe, Chairman of the Gombe State Fiscally Responsible Commission, Abubakar Tata Inuwa, disclosed that the number of people working in the 11 LGA of the state is overwhelming.
Tata who is also the Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service, said: “It is totally unbelievable for one to defend the number of people working in the LGAs, more especially if one is a regular visitor to the LGA Secretariats and our schools”.
He stated that there are about 36,692 collecting salaries across the 11 LGA and the Local Education Authority (LEA) of the state. According to him Akko has 5,174 staff and Balanga has 3,339 while workers in Billiri are 2,714.
Tata further stated that Dukku has 3,201 and that Funakaye has 2,818, Gombe 4,559 staff, Kaltungo 2,945 staff, Kwami 3,111 staff, Nafada 2,454 staff, Shongom 2,721 staff, Y/Deba 3,656 staff.
According to Tata, the government has embark on aggressive Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) drive in addition to the continuous staff audit through a biometric attendance register to checkmate workers on the government’s payroll.
The Chairman disclosed that based on the current statutory allocation to the 11 LGAs of the state, only five can to pay the new minimum wage.
He explained that the present administration in the state had opened a standing facility of N1.3 billion for the State and LGAs to prompt payment of salaries to the state.
“The Inuwa Yahaya led administration has stopped the practice of borrowing to pay salary,” he said while adding that the reforms introduced by the state government has led to the decentralization of statutory allocation and IGR to each LGA.
“Instead of the previous practice of pooling LGA’s resources in one basket and using it to develop other LGAs, thus encouraging fiscal irresponsibility by economic managers.
The executive lawlessness in the name of Joint State and Local Government Account has left about five LGAs technically insolvent,” the chairmen said.
According him as of May 2019 Akko LGA was owing N1.04 billion, Gombe N2.12 billion, Balanga N370 million, Kaltungo N950 million and Yamaltu/Deba N200 million.
The chairman who accused the previous administration of recklessness stated that: “The with reforms in place, the State Government had to loan the sum of N200.0 million to Gombe local government to be able to pay salaries alone not to talk of pension and gratuities”.
