By Umar Yusuf

NUMAN (ADAMAWA) — No fewer than 179 ghost workers have been detected in Numan Local Government Council of Adamawa State.

The discovery followed the set-up of a screening committee to authenticate the salaries and wages being paid to staff of the council.

Chairman of the Council, Mr. Phamuel Mosu said in Numan, yesterday, that the screening committee became imperative after the salary bill of the council increased from N23 million to N29 million Naira monthly.

According to him, the screening committee in its finding discovered 117 staff with fake and forged records; 30 fictitious names and 32 names duplicated in salary vouchers resulting in fraud of millions of Naira.

He accused both management staff and those in the accounts and salary sections of being the brain behind the fraud, vowing that the culprits would be brought to book.

Mosu added that a fraud syndicate that cuts across all the departments in the council has been equally uncovered.

He announced that as an interim measures, a major re-assignment has been undertaken in the council as some staff in the sensitive positions were either re-deployed or posted out.

Commenting on the strike action embarked upon by the local chapters of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Medical and Health Workers Union, the Council Chairman described the action of the union leaders as unrealistic,  accusing them of being part of the fraud that has rocked the council for months now, hence his attempt to sanitise the system amounts to stepping on toes.