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Nigeria cuts 24,000 ghost workers from state payroll Nigeria cuts 24,000 ghost workers from state payroll
(35 minutes later)
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Finance Ministry says it is cutting 24,000 ghost workers from the national payroll, saving $11.5 million a month.LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Finance Ministry says it is cutting 24,000 ghost workers from the national payroll, saving $11.5 million a month.
A statement received Monday says a new bank verification system helped uncover frauds with federal government salaries being paid to people who do not exist and some civil servants receiving salaries from multiple agencies. A new bank verification system helped uncover frauds with federal government salaries being paid to people who do not exist and some civil servants receiving salaries from multiple agencies, according to a statement received Monday from Festus Akanbi, the spokesman for the minister of finance.
The finance minister’s spokesman Festus Akanbi said the 24,000 make up 7.5 percent of the 312,000 names so far checked in an ongoing exercise to rout out corruption. The 24,000 make up 7.5 percent of the 312,000 names so far checked in an ongoing exercise to root out corruption, he said, but was reluctant to give a figure for the total workforce until the verification exercise is complete.
In addition, the Military Pension Board has stopped payments to more than 19,200 personnel found to have died since the last audit in 2012, Akanbi said.
Shortly before Nigeria’s government changed last year, an independent commission against corrupt practices reported discovering 45,000 ghost workers just in the federal ministry of finance.Shortly before Nigeria’s government changed last year, an independent commission against corrupt practices reported discovering 45,000 ghost workers just in the federal ministry of finance.
Federal workers’ salaries account for more than 40 percent of Nigerian government expenditure and are the biggest item on the budget. Federal workers’ salaries, the biggest item on the budget, account for more than 40 percent of Nigerian government expenditure, Akanbi said.
Any money saved will mean less borrowing abroad and at home to fund Nigeria’s expanded budget for 2016, he explained.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.