Ghost Workers, Missing Millions: Minister Chris Ngige and Perm Sec Pay Ghost Workers in Payroll Scandal

Secrets Reporters

A financial hornet’s nest has been stirred at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, with an audit unearthing a staggering N5,216,089.00 discrepancy in its 2021 payroll records. This significant sum, amounting to over five million naira, represents a variance in personnel costs that has raised eyebrows and set alarm bells ringing within government circles.

The audit, which delved into the intricacies of the Ministry’s financial dealings, painted a stark picture: the number of staff on the payroll consistently exceeded the figures captured in the Ministry’s internal audit report. From January to December 2021, a recurring pattern emerged, with monthly differences in staff numbers and corresponding variances in gross salary payments. This culminated in the substantial N5,216,089.00 shortfall, a sum that seems to have vanished into thin air.

The findings, laid bare for all to see, point to potential weaknesses in the internal control system at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The audit report, acting as a financial compass, highlighted two major risks: the unsettling possibility of salaries being paid to individuals who have already exited the Ministry, and the more sinister specter of payments to “ghost workers” – individuals who exist only on paper, siphoning off public funds.

In response to this fiscal conundrum, the Ministry appears to be taking a step back, with its management noting the observed discrepancies. A key point of contention raised by the Ministry is that the payment of salaries is handled by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, not directly by the Ministry itself. They indicated their intention to take up the issue with the Accountant General’s office, hoping to unravel the threads that have led to these discrepancies.

In the wake of these revelations, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry finds themselves squarely in the hot seat, facing a set of pointed recommendations aimed at shedding light on this opaque financial landscape. They are being asked to account to the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly for the N5,216,089.00 variance in personnel cost, effectively putting them on the spot to explain where the money went.

Furthermore, the Permanent Secretary is expected to provide a comprehensive nominal roll of the Ministry for 2021, a detailed breakdown of monthly gross salary payments for the same year, and a meticulous schedule of all persons employed and those who exited the Ministry in 2021. This request aims to pull back the curtain on the true state of affairs and leave no stone unturned in the investigation.

Beyond accountability, there’s a strong call for action: the sum of N5,216,089.00 is to be recovered and remitted to the Treasury, with evidence of this remittance forwarded to the Public Accounts Committees. Failure to adhere to these directives could lead to severe consequences, with sanctions relating to gross misconduct, as specified in paragraph 3129 of the Financial Regulations, 2009, potentially coming into play.

In 2021, the Federal Minister of Labour and Employment in Nigeria was Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige. He held this position from November 11, 2015, until May 29, 2023.