From Adama John, Lokoja
T
he Staff Verification Committee set up by Acting chief Judge of Kogi state to probe the nominal roll of the state High Court has discovered 268 ghost workers on the payroll of the state High Court.
The committee has also uncovered 706 illegally recruited staff for one and half years on the payroll of the state judiciary, just as it recommended the termination of same.
Chairman of the probe panel, Justice Mohammed Etsu Umar, disclosed this while presenting the report of the staff verification committee to the Acting Chief Judge (CJ) Justice Josiah Joe Majebi at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja midweek.
According to Justice Umar, the recruitment malpractice has led to ‘astronomical’ increase in personnel emoluments, representing 40 percent increase in personnel cost.
“After a careful check of the names of newly employed staff from January 2021 to June 2022, the staff disposition list and payroll, it was discovered that some of the names on the payroll could not be found on the staff disposition list of the courts and other departments.
Therefore, it is an indication that though their names are on the pay roll but they do not have duty stations and do not work anywhere in the Inspectorate offices”, the report read in part.
For a staff to be on pay roll without duty station, the committee recommends that such staff be terminated from the service.
The Committee also recommends that, “henceforth, employment by the institution should be highly regulated to the needs of the judiciary establishment and based on budgetary provisions and availability of vacancies.”
While appreciating the committee members for a thorough job, kogi state Chief Judge, Justice Josiah Majebi, said the committee’s assignment would be a continuous one to fish out parasites feeding fat in the system giving assurance that he would implement the recommendations.
“I am being guided by the three principles of showing love and being concerned with the problems and happiness of the people I lead, he said.
The setting up of the state judiciary Staff verification committee followed the recommendation of the state high court council of Judges to that effect to check administrative malpractice.
