The Bayelsa State Government,has uncovered 612 ghost workers in primary schools in the state,according to the chairman, Committee on the Review of Grade Levels and Steps of Local Government and Primary School Staff, Timipre Seipulou.
He disclosed this while submitting the committee’s report to Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo in Government House, Yenagoa, on Monday,a statement said.
Seipulou was quoted in a statement as saying that the 33-member committee, which was inaugurated in April 2021, reviewed a total of 14,258 cases in the various local government areas.
According to him,the figure comprises 7,207 primary school teachers, 5,893 council staff and 1,189 health workers.
Seipulou said, “The committee conducted a staff verification exercise using the March 2021 payroll as a template and discovered some anomalies. The committee observed that out of the 7,207 primary school staff, 612 were confirmed by headmasters as ghost workers in their schools.”
He further said that 573 staff were not in the payrolls but were said to be physically present in the schools, while the names of 10 dead and 13 retired staff were found in the payrolls.
Seipulou, who is also the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Revenues and Accounts, said the committee equally observed irregular progressions across board, improper updating of files and indiscriminate award of special promotions, among other irregularities.
According to him, the committee’s recommendations include the setting up of a special team to review cases of staff who appear in the payrolls but are not in schools as well as removal of dead and retired staff from the wage bill.
He said the committee also advised government to use the April 2021 payrolls, grade levels and steps report as a basis to conduct physical verification of all staff with an Oracle Team on ground to capture the biometrics of the workers during the verification exercise.
Seipulou said “the government should review the issue of health workers conversion from the consolidated public service salary structure (CONPSS) to consolidated health salary structure (CONHESS)” and correct cases of staff who go to work but whose names are not in the payrolls.
