Head count to eliminate ghost workers, says Kwara government

• PTAD begins verification of 2,000 retirees in Ogun

The Kwara State Government has said that the ongoing headcount exercise of civil servants in the state is to fish out ghost workers and to know the actual workers on its payroll.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi, stated this yesterday in Ilorin while receiving the executive and members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Ilorin and District Society led by its Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Baba Ibrahim, in his office.

Alabi, who said that the current wage bill of over N2 billion would leave the state with nothing to use for developmental projects, especially the germane ones, pledged that the present administration would support and require the services of professional bodies to move the state forward. He, therefore, urged ICAN to advise the state on the way forward, especially in the area of revenue generation to meet the needs of the people.

Ibrahim, who reiterated the commitment and willingness of the District to collaborate with the administration to achieve a better Kwara, said that the District would come up with a blueprint document on how to improve the internally-generated revenue of the state optimally and reduce the cost of governance drastically. He solicited for the support of the state government in funding its proposed District Secretariat, sponsorship of its members in the state service for its yearly conference and the appointment of its members in key professional positions.

Meanwhile, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) yesterday commenced verification of all pensioners of treasury-funded parastatals, agencies and institutions in Ogun State. The Team Leader, Abeokuta Centre, Abubakar Aboki, who spoke with journalists at the flag-off of the verification, said the exercise would cover 270 agencies, including federal universities, polytechnics, teaching hospitals, medical centres and defunct institutions.

Aboki, who disclosed that about 2,000 retirees would be captured in the state’s exercise, said similar verification was ongoing in neighbouring states of Oyo and Osun.

According to him, the exercise was informed by the need to biometrically capture all bonafide pensioners and obtain relevant documentation and service records required for accurate and timely computation and payment of pension benefits. He said that on completion of the exercise, PTAD would build a credible database for all pensioners of treasury-funded agencies.