Gombe uncovers 440 ghost workers, saves N4.5bn

Gombe State Government has uncovered about 440 ghost workers in the health sector payroll, saving more than N4.5 billion, Governor Muhammadu Yahaya announced on Thursday.

Speaking at the maiden Gombe State Health Summit held at the International Conference Centre, Yahaya said the fraud was exposed after the introduction of a biometric attendance system across health facilities to curb absenteeism and strengthen accountability.

“In order to eliminate ghost workers and reduce absenteeism, we introduced a biometric attendance system, exposing about 440 ghost workers and saving over N4.5 billion,” the governor stated.

Yahaya explained that the measure was part of ongoing reforms to reposition the state’s healthcare system, which he described as being in poor condition when he assumed office in 2019. These reforms include revitalising primary healthcare centres, modernising secondary facilities, and establishing contributory health and pharmaceutical schemes aimed at creating a seamless healthcare ecosystem.

In a related development, the Katsina State Government recently removed 3,488 unqualified and ghost workers from the payroll of its 34 local government councils and education authorities after a biometric screening exercise.