By ANAYO OKOLI

Umuahia-ABIA  State Government has warned that it would not spare any local government official who constitutes an obstacle to  its effort to block the loopholes in the finances of councils, saying ghost workers syndrome had cost the  state millions of naira.

The government has for months been battling to eradicate ghost workers syndrome in its payroll, particularly in the local government system, which leadership, comprising  treasurers and head of service, had been accused of using fake names to defraud it.

The council leadership is alleged by the state government of smuggling fake names,  including students, into the councils’ payroll to pad their wage bill, which eventually goes into their private pocket.

Worried by the huge funds being lost through this, the government tried to block  the loopholes through the introduction of a biometric system which captured the actual staff strength of the state.

But attempt was made by the council officials to frustrate the system, an action which forced Governor Theodore Orji to issue a sweeping suspension order on the treasurers and heads of service.

However, few weeks after they were recalled, they have been  said to have devised  another fraudulent means of not submitting the wage bill of their councils in time to the Auditor-General of Local Government for verification to ensure that accurate figures were captured by the biometric system.