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Bello Alhassan
DAILY COURIER – Borno State government has inaugurated a 15-member committee to investigate unpaid pensions and gratuities and eliminate ghost workers from its payroll, targeting 20,000 local government staff across the 27 local government areas of the state.
The committee was headed by the state Head of Service, Mallam Fannami, which includes representatives from key government agencies, labour unions and professional bodies.
He said the committee is tasked with ascertaining the actual number of pensioners, identifying outstanding unpaid pensions and gratuities, recommending efficient administration and payment methods, developing a quarterly tracking system for pensioners, and enhancing transparency and accountability.
“It is a committee to verify those dead and alive and stop payment of those who have passed away, so that the money will be channelled into paying some other benefits.
“It is a normal annual and bi-annual affairs. But this time around after the exercise we will adopt a technology based of verifying the pensioners instead of every year gathering them in one place. But, we will now go to every LGAs and capture them.
According to Fannami, “This exercise will end the era of ghost workers and ensure that pensions reach rightful beneficiaries.”
The committee will verify local education authority and local government staff to eliminate ghost workers, digitise the system for easy identification, identify pension recipients both living and deceased, and conduct verification across all 27 LGAs, including inaccessible areas.
Fannami assured the exercise would be completed within a month, bringing relief to genuine pensioners.
“This is part of the state government’s efforts to reform the pension system and address workers’ welfare”, he added.
Some of the members including; Professor Babagana Gutti, Secretary; Organised Labor Representative: Comrade Yusuf Inuwa (Chairman, Labor Congress); Trade Union Congress Representative: Comrade Babayo Hamman (Chairman, Trade Union Congress); Member: Hajjiya Maryam Shehu; Member Representative of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, amongst others.
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