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Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

Workers in Enugu State Civil Service not captured in the recently concluded biometric verification will cease to receive salaries, the Commissioner for Information, Dr Godwin Udeuhele, has said.

Addressing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council Meeting held on Wednesday night, Udeuhele said the decision was taken to end the ghost-worker syndrome in the service.

He said that the current administration on assumption of office observed leakages of state funds and moved to block the loopholes.

“As a result, the biometric verification was introduced at the inception of the Bank Verification Number which makes it impossible for somebody to earn salaries in more than one point.

“Before today, some people were in the local government system and state government receiving salaries from three points when they were actually not working in any of those places.

“The dead were even collecting salaries. I’m surprised to see that the dead will go to the bank to collect salaries but you don’t see them at their work places,” he said.

Udeuhele said that the decision was long overdue following the successful completion of the exercise and submission of the inter-ministerial committee report.

He said that the state governor in his magnanimity extended the implementation window by three months to listen to complaints arising from the exercise, adding that such grace ended in September.

“Different days were given for the verification of members of staff of all the ministries and agencies, including mop-up days for those who may have missed their days.

“So only the workers and pensioners that successfully completed that biometric system will be receiving salaries starting from September,” he said.

Udeuhele said those who did not present themselves for the verification were confirmed ghost workers and pensioners unless they proved otherwise.