As part of its on-going efforts towards ridding the state public service of ghost workers and corruption, the governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led government says it has recovered the sum of N21million from ghost teachers in its Post-Primary School Board (PPSMB) within three months.
Meanwhile, the state has decided to offer automatic employment to 50 physically-challenged indigenes of the state in order to give them a new lease of life.
This was made known to newsmen in Enugu weekend by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe.
He said the administration had during its last state executive council meeting presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, took a hard look at the latest development in her corruption war, and mooted a further inquisition that would identify possible members of the syndicate behind the scam.
Anikwe, also hinted that it was the chairman of the PPSMB, Barrister Nestor Ezeme, who offered information on the ghost teachers while briefing the council.
According to him, the council regretted the fraud which took place at the PPSMB just within three months during which the board embarked on a special check by paying salaries directly to each of its staff who were made to personally collect cheques in respect of their monthly wages.
“The chairman of PPSMB has been pleading with Exco to allow him pay staff salaries by hand and the EXCO approved that he does so, and for the first month after the salary payment, N7 million was left without anybody coming to claim the amount and for three months, N21 million was recovered in the process which means that ghost workers exist at PPSMB”.
He said that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was not pleased with the development, regretting that “ while the state government was striving to fulfil its side of the obligation through regular and prompt payment of workers’ salaries, some staff are busy siphoning government money through ghost-workers syndrome.”
The Commissioner stated that the State Government is considering some severe sanctions against anybody found to been involved in this fraud.
It would be recalled that the state government had in an earlier verification exercise, discovered no fewer than 2,000 ghost workers in the local government system, including the primary schools.
Meanwhile, the administration has decided to offer automatic employment to 50 physically-challenged indigenes of the state in order to give them a new lease of life.
“The Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration in its desire to give equal opportunities to all the people of the state, has responded to a petition presented to EXCO by some visually-impaired individuals by deciding to offer automatic employment to 50 physically-challenged indigenes of the state.
He explained that Enugu State as a signatory to the United Nations Charter has decided in line with that charter which provides for equal opportunity to everybody, irrespective of their physical status, “to employ the 50 persons at the first instance, who will be engaged according to their discipline.