Zamfara State Government has expressed grave concerns over the high number of ghost workers in its civil service, which has hindered accurate employee headcounts and disrupted financial planning. Speaking in Gusau, the State Head of Service (HoS), Barrister Ahmad Liman, disclosed that the actual number of legitimate civil servants remains uncertain, with many ghost employees detected primarily in the health and education sectors.
A recent verification exercise revealed disturbing cases; one hospital listed 22 health workers on payroll, though only two were confirmed to be actively employed. Barrister Liman highlighted that the verification process, which began under the new administration, is set to conclude by the end of November 2024. Following this, the state will form a committee focused on developing an accurate payroll system and addressing salary structure issues.
Liman further explained that Zamfara’s efforts to implement the updated minimum wage of N70,000, aimed at easing workers’ economic challenges, are currently stalled. This delay stems from structural flaws in the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage implementation, which led to complications in salary calculations and compliance across sectors.
“Without knowing the actual number of state employees, we cannot effectively implement a new minimum wage structure,” stated Liman, adding that the ongoing verification exercise is a crucial step toward establishing a fair and transparent payment system.
The government’s commitment to rectifying the situation marks an essential move toward responsible financial management in Zamfara, with hopes that the upcoming committee reports will bring clarity to a beleaguered payroll system.
