By Ovat Abeng
Anambra State Local Government Service Commission uncovered two hundred and ten ghost workers in the State.
The Chairman of the Commission Chief Vin Ezeaka who disclosed this to Journalists in Awka, on Thursday, revealed that the Commission has also dismissed six Deputy Directors for certificate forgery and other Infractions.
According to him, the dismissed deputy directors were all products of Imo State University.
“All the affected directors were students of Imo State University and as I speak to you now, our investigators are expecting more response from other universities across the country.
“The action was part of the Commission’s quest to enthrone professionalism and eradicate all forms of corruption in the council system.
“The ghost workers that cut across the 21 Local Government Area of the State, has be removed from the workers payroll.
Chief Ezeaka noted that this feat was made possible through a dedicated back-to-back Personnel Audit and the deployment of staff biometrics Identification and verification, using State of the Art Clock-in-Clock-out Digital Attendance Register which brought to the fore, the numerical strength of the physical staff in the Unified Local Government System of Anambra State.
The Chairman explained that certificate screening has become a continuous exercise; having completed the Screening of Grade Level Fifteen and Sixteen, the Certificate Screening of Grade Level Fourteen and below shall commence in earnest, aimed at flushing out fraudsters and all forms of certificate racketeering in the Local Government System.
He noted that unrestrained looting and mismanagement of Local Government fund have become a thing of the past, since all Local Government accounts have been linked to a dedicated tracking system, continuously monitored by security agents for the recovery of looted funds and prosecution of culpable officers.
Chief Ezeaka commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for supporting a digitally smart Local Government System that birthed the Clock-in-Clock-out Electronic Attendance Register which ultimately translates to ending ghost worker syndrome and over bloated Local Government staff emoluments.