Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has received the Biometric Screening Report of Local Government Councils and Local Education Authority staff in Katsina State, a reform projected to save the state about ₦453.3 million monthly.
The report revealed that 50,172 workers were screened, out of which 46,380 were verified while 3,488 were removed due to fraud, fake certificates, absenteeism, ghost-working, and other irregularities. It also confirmed that ₦4.6 million has been recovered from salary fraud involving officers who engaged in double pay and ghost worker activities.
The Zango Local Education Authority Secretary was specifically implicated in creating 24 ghost workers, which the governor described as “a serious breach of trust.”
Governor Radda directed that the report be converted into a White Paper for full and fair implementation. He noted that with the reforms, savings at the local government level could reach as high as ₦5.7 billion, freeing funds for grassroots development and improving public service delivery.
“Despite political pressures, these reforms are necessary to protect public funds and ensure resources are used for the benefit of the people,” Governor Radda stated.