Our committee will be fair to all – Kogi Auditor-General

Yahaya-Bello of Kogi State

The location and work schedule of the Kogi State Staff Screening Review and Complaints Committee will be announced next Wednesday.

The Chairman of the committee and State Auditor General, Alhaji Yakubu Yusuf Okala, disclosed this while speaking with the media after the inaugural meeting of the committee at the Government House, Lokoja.

Alhaji Okala said all Kogi state civil servants and pensioners, who felt aggrieved with the outcome of the staff screening exercise but have relevant documents to support their claims should make themselves available to the committee. He said all cases will be treated carefully and fairly.

He reiterated that the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello is determined to keep every genuine worker in its employment and was only interested in removing ghost workers or those who are working illegally in the state civil service.

Following the presentation of the report by the Staff Screening & Validation Committee last Monday, Governor Bello set up a 23-man Complaints Review Committee immediately and charged them to work speedily and justly to ensure that all issues arriving from the Screening Exercise are quickly resolved. In the report, a total of 18,211 Ghost Workers or Unintended Beneficiaries were discovered to be drawing salaries from the State and Local Government. This meant that approximately N213b had been lost to these people over the last 13 years.

Asked what the terms of reference were for his committee, Alhaji Okala said, “One: Further screening of the ‘Cleared List.’ Two: Scrutinise further those currently on ‘Problem List.’ Three: Attend to complaints with the view to resolving them.

“After our meeting next Wednesday, we will announce the venue for the exercise along with the work schedule and modalities so that each ministry, agency, department and local government area will know when to come and present their case. We promise that the process will be as painless and organised as possible. Everyone will be given the chance to prove their case before the committee.”

The committee is made up of seasoned professionals, career civil servants, and law enforcement officers.

Barrister I.O. Alhassan, representing the Attorney General, is the Committee Secretary, while the Local Government Areas Auditor General, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, is a member. Other members include Former Auditor General, Hajia Maryam Ladi Ibrahim; State Legal Adviser, Barrister Femi Adegboyega and the representative of the Ministry of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Alfa Arome.