The Federal Government is saving a whopping N2.29 billion monthly since December 2015 by eliminating 23,846 ghost workers from its payroll, the Ministry of Finance has said.
A statement by Festus Akanbi, Media Adviser to the Minister of Finance, stated that the salary bill for February 2016 had reduced by N2.293 billion when compared to December 2015.
Akanbi stated further that the ongoing Bank Verification Number, BVN, staff audit and enrollment to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, are responsible for the findings and blockage of leakages in the government payroll.
Also, the statement stated that the suspected cases of ghost workers were further being investigated in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
It reads in part, “The Federal Government, in its efforts to reduce personnel cost, is determined to continue the verification programme on a regular periodic basis,” statement added.
“The ongoing exercise, which is part of the cost-saving and anti-corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, is key to funding the deficit in the 2016 budget.
“This is because savings made will ultimately reduce the amount to be borrowed.”
