Anambra Government Uncovers 59 Deceased Workers, 40 Retirees, 222 Ghost Employees on Payroll

The Anambra State Local Government Service Commission has uncovered over 300 ghost workers who have been drawing salaries from various local governments without reporting for work.

The commission’s chairman, Mr. Vincent Ezeaka, revealed this in an interview with NIGERIA NEWS 247 on Friday. Ezeaka, who has recently faced criticism from local government workers accusing him of undue victimization, clarified that he was merely fulfilling his duties as mandated by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

Ezeaka, a legal practitioner, acknowledged the accusations of trying to impress the governor by removing people from the payroll to reduce the wage bill. He explained, “The governor gave us a mandate to clear the local government system of ghost workers. We implemented a biometric attendance register for five months and found 320 workers across 21 local governments who never clocked in or out during the first three months. These individuals had zero attendance.”

He continued, “We identified these workers and requested JAAC to remove them from the payroll. According to civil service rules, zero attendance for even one month can lead to dismissal, but we only took them off the payroll. Some claimed the biometric system was faulty, so we gave them another chance. Out of the 320, only 110 have since proven they are active workers and have had their pay restored, while 220 have not come forward.”

Ezeaka expressed concerns about the high wage bill compared to actual attendance and initiated a physical audit. “We set up a committee to verify workers, cross-referencing the personnel lists, schedules of duty, and salary printouts. We found retirees, relocated individuals, and deceased workers still drawing salaries,” he said.

The audit revealed 59 deceased workers, 40 retirees, 222 unidentified workers, and individuals who had relocated abroad or found other jobs but continued to receive salaries. Ezeaka cited specific cases, including a retiree now employed at Nnamdi Azikiwe University who was still drawing a local government salary and pension.

Ezeaka defended his actions, stating, “People say I’m doing this to gain favor from Governor Soludo. Yes, my role is to ensure the governor is satisfied with my performance. The goal is to sanitize the system, and I will stop at nothing to achieve that.”

He confirmed that all ghost workers and others identified in the audit have had their salaries stopped.