Ekiti State Government has uncovered the payment of N20million monthly as salary for 362 ghost workers in local governments.
Local Government and Community Development Commissioner Prof. Adio Folayan made this known on Wednesday while presenting a State Staff Verification Committee report to Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ado-Ekiti.
The committee was set up by the government to audit the local government workers towards identifying those who are genuine or fake workers.
Folayan said earlier preliminary findings put the ghost workers at 652.
“Further screening by the committee showed that only 362 workers of the initial figure were clarified to be on government payroll as at June 2019.
“The committee recommends that illegal salaries so far earned by the affected workers should be deducted from their pensions and gratuities.
“It also recommends that all involved should be prosecuted for fraud, along with anyone or persons identified to be their accomplices,” he said.
The commissioner said there is need for the councils’ heads of department to start enforcing discipline.
“They must introduce schedules of duties to their officers so that errant officers will be punished for any infraction,” he said.