by Emmanuel Chidiogo

Fraudulent staff on our government’s payroll, also known as Ghost Workers, have over the years cost Nigeria billions of Naira.

Some months ago, the presidency announced that about 56,000 cases of ghost workers had been eliminated from the public service.

Eyebrows have been raised over the ghost workers scam of about N118.9 billion that was announced by the federal gvovrnemtn about four months. Many have become worried that despite the discovery, which was said to have occurrred between 2007 and 2012, the finance ministry is yet to expose those involved in squandering of billions of naira as annual wages to fictitious government workers, Nigeria’s finance agencies, including the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office of the Federation accounts.

A total of 46,639 ghost workers were uncovered in 215 government parastatals (321 were reported to still have potential of ghost workers) between the aforementioned period of time in government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and they accounted for losses to public funds.

While the Education (9,463), Works (5 167), and defence (4 457) Ministries took clear lead in the scam, the Finance Ministry and the Budget Office, with at least 1,000 “ghost names” each by 2007

The Accountant General’s office, and the Office of the Auditor General, reported 255 and 151 ghost workers respectively. The four agencies are directly responsible for managing Nigeria’s finances and spending, and have in the past led campaigns to block leakages occasioned by the smuggling of fictitious personnel into payrolls.

In 2013, two years after returning as minister, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala launched what seemed a determined effort to draw public attention to the evil of “ghost workers”. In 2014, the minister explained how the  Intergrated Personnel & Payroll Information System (IPPIS) saved billions for the government.

Nigerians have challenged Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to expose the officials behind the scam.

In response, her office said the names had been forwarded to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission [ICPC] for further investigation. “The Federal Ministry of Finance has taken the additional step of referring the issue to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for further investigation so that any identified culprits can face the full wrath of the law,” Paul Nwabuikwu said on March 13.

The ICPC however denied claims by the ministry of finance. The commission’s chairman, Eyo Nta, said it did not receive any list from the Finance ministry.

“When one talks about names (submitted to ICPC), I am a bit surprised,” Mr. Nta said. “I am not too sure she (the Minister) said names were submitted. Perhaps what the minister said was that the matter (of ghost workers) had been passed on to the commission (for investigation).”

He said the anti-corruption agency was however conducting its investigation into the scam but refused to give a timeline for its completion. “We are looking at all the ministries, departments and agencies in the Federal Civil Service. It is not something one should rush. We are taking each ministry step by step. We have made substantial progress on it right now. But, I can assure you that any public officer constituting an obstacle to the process, no matter how highly placed, would be arrested,” he said in April.