Zulum Laments On Decline Of Education, High Rate Of Ghost Workers In Lgcs Payroll... Inaugurates Committee On Verification Of Local Government Staff, Teachers

By Ahmed Abu, The Nigerian Voice, Maiduguri
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Sequel to decline in standard of education , lack of qualified teaching staff in primary and post primary schools in Borno state as well as high rate of ghost workers and teachers working at the LGCs across the state, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has inaugurated a high powered Committees on Verification of LGCs Staff and Primary School Teachers .

The governor said to correct the anomalies and to sustain and invigorate the local government system, government accordingly deemed it necessary to constitute committees on verification and biometric Data to capture all local government staff and Primary school teachers in the state.

While inaugurating the two committees at the Government House, Maiduguri Wednesday, Prof. Zulum said , " the state salary bill for the state and local governments staff stood at about N3.5 billion. Hence the need for the biometric verification to ascertain the actual number of the staff and teachers.".

He said " local government system used to be the nexus of various outstanding achievements and an embodiment of effective service delivery at the local government level. However, over the past years dynamics and interplay of number of sociopolitical factors and some compelling institutional imperatives have gradually eroded it's overall performance".

"The verification and Biometric exercise is not intended to witch hunt anybody and should not be construed, as such. It is rather an objective and impeccable assessment of the work force at the local government level, specifically designed to arrive at the actual number of staff in any particular local Government area.

"We need not to stop anybody's salary during the verification exercise.. I urge you to be fair and just to all., Zulum said

He further said "intact, we have now reached a point whereby some local government aras have to be assisted with extra funds just to meet their personnel cost. This kind if situation is unacceptable as it is financially unviable and administratively untenable".

The committee on the verification and biometric data capture of local government staff has the following term of reference; to ascertain the actual number of staff in the payroll of each local government, to verify the correct vertical and horizontal placement of each staff in respect of their approved scheme of work and salary scale, to determine the total number of staff employed by each local government from 2000 to date and whether or not such employment, was properly authorised among others.

He said only qualified teachers will be allowed to be in the payroll of the state, as gone are the days where senior public servants, political office holders and traditional rulers will put the names of unqualified teachers on the payroll of the local government.

The committee on primary school teacher is also to ascertain and determine the total and actual number of teachers, their qualifications, ranks, status per salary payment, biometric date and templates of their birth, age, rank, qualification, date of first appointment , workers and teachers death , those that have retired and even determine the number of those on contract hence they don't have gratuities.

Zulum also frowned on the manner in the last three months of his assumption of office, where there was no report or change in the salary of workers and teachers at the LGCs across the state, querying whether there was no death or promotion or retirement of LGCs staff from May to date.

Speaking on behalf of the two committee members, the Chairman Local Government Verification and Data Capture Committee. Sen. Kaka Malam Yale thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve in the committee.

"We will not fail you, we share your believe and commitment to salvage the local government areas. This step was born out of your desire to put the local government councils on the right track," Senator Yale said.