BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

OWERRI—Imo State Government, weekend, said the on-going personnel audit in the 27 local governments of the state was not meant to witch-hunt anybody, but to rid the system of ghost workers.

At a briefing after the Joint Accounts Allocations meeting in Owerri, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Gerry Ogoke, said: “The auditing option became inevitable to enable government have accurate statistics of all authentic and genuinely employed staff of the councils, currently bedeviled with fake and ghost workers.”

He decried the deplorable level of health services and education in the state, stressing that the transition committee chairmen had been directed to initiate and execute projects that would touch the lives of rural dwellers.

Mbaitoli and Owerri Municipal councils smiled home with N99.3 million and N91 million respectively, while the lowest allocation of N52 million went to Nkwerre Local Government Council for the month.

Beneficiaries of what the transition committee chairman called “jumbo allocation” include Ngor Okpala N89.8m, Ahiazu Mbaise N84.7m, Isiala Mbano N82.8m, Ohaji/Egbema N82.1m, Oguta N82m, Ideato North N80.8m and Orlu N80.8m, Aboh Mbaise N79.7m, Isu N78m and Oru East N74.1m.

Owerri North N73m, Owerri West N71.5m, Obowo N70.1m, Okigwe N70m, Ezinihitte N69.4m, Oru West N68m, Ikeduru N67.9m, Njaba N65.4m, Ideato South N63.9m, Ihitte Uboma N63.9m and Nwangele N62m.

Apart from Nkwerre local council, those that kept the rear for yet-to be explained reasons during the allocation includes Orsu N59.4m, Ehime Mbano N59.3m and Onuimo N52.6m.