The Jigawa State Government says it has discovered and removed about 7,000 ghost workers from its payroll as part of a wider effort to clean up the state’s workforce and improve accountability.
Commissioner for Finance, Hannatu Sabo, made the disclosure on Wednesday, June 4, in Dutse during a press briefing to mark Governor Umar Namadi’s two years in office.
According to her, the discovery was made during a verification exercise for state employees across various ministries, departments, and agencies.
“The fake employees were removed from the payroll as they failed to report for the verification exercise,” she said.
Sabo said the move shows the state’s commitment to running a transparent and efficient system.
“The Jigawa State Government’s efforts to eliminate ghost workers and streamline its workforce demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability,” she added.
She also revealed that the successful exercise opened doors for fresh recruitment under key state employment programmes such as J-Health, J-Teach, and J-Agro.
On worker welfare, Sabo said Jigawa is among the few states fully implementing the new salary structure and has maintained early salary payments.
READ ALSO: Jigawa Govt Uncovers 6,348 Ghost Workers, Saves ₦314m Monthly
“We are paying salaries before the 25th of each month to employees, as directed by the governor,” she noted.
In addition, the state has received extra funding from the Federal Government, which she said will support ongoing development projects.
“We have received additional funds from the Federal Government through the monthly allocation to the state and the local government councils, which will go a long way in supporting our development projects,” she explained.
Highlighting the government’s push to invest in critical sectors, Sabo announced the acquisition of Khadija University in Majia and the purchase of shares in the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
She said both investments are expected to raise state revenue and improve access to quality education and electricity.
“The purchase of Khadija University and the acquisition of shares in KEDCO are expected to boost the state’s revenue and improve the quality of education and electricity supply,” she said.
She also pointed to efforts to expand access to financial services, especially in underserved communities, revealing that the state has been supporting microfinance banks and plans to open new branches in local governments without banks.
“The governor has ordered the opening of microfinance bank branches in the remaining local governments that do not have banks,” she added.