WAGE BILL FRAUD ROCKS DELTA GOVT

By Austin Ogwuda
Asaba - DELTA State Government is currently paying N7.9 billion to its over 45,000, workforce, thereby stifling other areas of need.

A source at the office of the State Accountant-General, AG, confirmed to Vanguard that the wage bill was bloated and this is traceable to the office of the Head of Service, the AG's office and a commercial bank engaged to handle the biometric exercise for workers in the state.

It will be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recently arrested a banker with one of the new generation banks in Asaba for allegedly inflating the payroll of the state government with ghost names.

The banker (names withheld) works with the bank that got the Delta State Government contract of computerising the payroll through the biometric capture exercise.

Investigation by EFCC, according to a dependable source was still in progress.

One shocking aspect of the discovery was that a former Commissioner in the state, who left office two years ago, was still being paid. Another serving Commissioner, according to source complained that instead of being paid N250,000 due to commissioners, he was paid N700,000.

'Thank God that this particular Commissioner is honest and top ranking one for that matter. Otherwise he could have pocketed it,' the source said.

Efforts to get comments from the State Head of Service, Mr. Okey Ofili, proved abortive at press time.