According to Premium Times, Vincent Ezeaka, Chairperson of the Anambra State Local Government Civil Service Commission, revealed that 427 ghost workers were discovered on the state's local government payroll. "Out of the 427 ghost workers, 59 are deceased individuals, 5 are living abroad but still receiving salaries, and 40 are retired workers who are earning salaries at two tertiary institutions in the state," he stated.
Ezeaka emphasized that the commission set up a screening committee to identify employees with fake certificates. "We have already terminated the employment of those found to have presented fraudulent credentials," he said. The state has also written to the Joint Account to remove the ghost workers living abroad from the payroll.
Ezeaka stressed that the ongoing local government and certificate verification exercise is not a witch hunt but rather an effort to ensure that genuine workers are properly compensated for their service. "We are committed to being thorough in our investigation and addressing this issue head-on," he said. "The governor has given us a clear mandate to sanitize the system, and we will not rest until we have rooted out all forms of payroll fraud in Anambra State."