No fewer than 6,280 ghost workers and pensioners have been identified by the Local Government Staff and Pensioner Audit Committee set up by the Governor of Enugu. The ghost workers will be probed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

Mr Ogbuagu Anikwe, the Commissioner for Information, disclosed this on Saturday in Enugu while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting held on Friday night.

Anike said that the committee was able to discover a total of 6,280 ghost workers and pensioners at the end of the exercise.

He gave the breakdown as 2,818 ghost workers in the nominal roll of local government councils’ staff and another 3,462 ghost pensioners.

“A committee headed by the speaker of the state house of assembly discovered 2,818 ghost workers in the nominal roll of local government council’s staff and another 3,462 ghost pensioners,” he said.

He said that the ghost workers and pensioners had been weeded out from the nominal rolls of local government councils and pensions board.

The commissioner said that the State Executive Council had authorised the Commissioner for Local Government Matters to hand over verified list of workers and pensioners to appropriate quarters.

Anikwe said that the governor also directed the committee to fish out the particulars of the ghost workers and pensioners and to send same to the ICPC for further probe.

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu had directed that the particulars of the affected individuals that defrauded the state over the years should be revealed and forwarded to the commission.

The state government had earlier set up the committee headed by the speaker of the state house of assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi to look into the matter.

The committee was to verify local government workers and pensioners with a view to strengthening the accounting system of the various councils and pensions board. (NAN)

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