Governor Ugwuanyi Sets up Committee to Fish out Enugu LGA Ghost Workers

By Ignatius Okpara, Enugu – There are strong indications that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, of Enugu state may have changed his mind of not probing the immediate past administration of Ex-Governor Sullivan Chime, as he has constituted an 11-man audit committee to probe, and fish out ghost workers in the 17 council Areas of the state.

The Committee, set up on Wednesday is to determine the actual number of workers in the 17 local government councils in the state.

A statement signed and issued by Secretary to the State Government SSG, Elder GOC Ajah, disclosed that the “exercise is expected to fish out ghost workers.

The 11-man audit committee, was mandated “to ascertain the real staff strengths of the local councils, with a view to tracking down possible ghost workers, as well as make inquisition into the factors that make it impossible for some of the councils to pay staff salaries.”

According to the statement, the committee would also “determine the financial implication of the staff in respect of monthly salaries of each local government council, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board and Pension Board.”

The audit committee was equally directed to ascertain the outstanding salaries and allowances of each local government council, ESUBEB, Local Government Service Commission, as well as the local government pension board.

Similarly, the committee is to ascertain and verify the total number of primary school teachers in each of the local government councils, as well as the total number of pensioners on the payroll of the pension board.

Ugwuanyi, further mandated the committee to determine the total sum of outstanding gratuities owed to retirees in the concerned establishments.

It would also determine the number of political appointees in each of the local government councils.

All local government workers are expected to have their biometric data captured in the course of the exercise.

The committee, which has two months to submit its report, is headed by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon.Edward Ubosi, while the permanent secretary (parastatals), Office of the Secretary to the State Government, is to serve as the secretary.

Other members include Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu, Hon. Chuka Ene, a representative of the Local Government Service Commission, Emeka Nwatu; the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in the state, Hon Cornelius Nnaji; the representative of education secretaries in the state, and the Secretary, ESUBEB.