The Abia State Government has announced significant savings of over N200 million on its monthly wage bill as a result of an extensive verification exercise conducted on civil servants and public workers. This exercise successfully identified and eliminated over 2,300 ghost workers from the state’s payroll.
In a statement released on Monday by Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, it was revealed that the Accountant General of the state, Njum Onyemenam, disclosed a significant savings achievement.
Onyemenam, who spoke Monday after a meeting with the state Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, said the verification exercise was still ongoing and that the government hopes to make more savings.
The state government managed to save a substantial amount through the successful implementation of a unified payment system. This system has streamlined and optimised payment processes, leading to notable cost efficiencies and financial benefits for the state. This gives the opportunity for the government further confirmed that the payment of April salaries to workers and June pensions to retirees had been successfully processed.
THe statement reads in part “The Abia State Government says it has saved over N200 million on monthly wage bills following ongoing verification of civil servants and other public workers in the state.
“So far, we have been able to save N220 million from the ongoing verification of workers in the state, local governments and pensioners.
She confirmed that following Governor Otti’s directive, the government had last week paid the arrears of April salaries, left behind by the immediate past administration and also June pensions to retirees.
Also, local government staff, who had been skipped when the June salaries were paid, due to their failure to submit their verified payment schedule, will receive their salaries this week, Onyemenam said.
