Niger discovers N672m paid to ghost workers monthly

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

Niger state government has discovered over N672 million monthly payment to ghost workers and other millions of naira to fictitious salary earners in the civil service, causing the delay in the payment of June salary in the state.
The Chairman Salary Management Committee and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructural development, Engr. Ibrahim Panti made the disclosure while speaking on the reasons behind the delay of salary payment for this month of June in Minna.
He lamented over the high level of corruption and its tendencies in the civil service in the state as 98% of allocation goes in to salary payment leaving with almost nothing for the development of the state hence the on going screening.
Engr. Panti who was optimistic for getting results from the screening revealed that 30% of each numbers of group invited for screening were never seen during the exercise, adding that fake a claimed certificates were further discovered from the exercise.