By Ben Duru - Umuahia
The Abia state Government has moved against ghost workers in its civil service with a warning that those who still had the penchant to bloat the wage bill through padding of the documents would have themselves to blame.
Speaking with newsmen in Umuahia, the Special Assistant on Media to the governor Ugochukwu Emezue disclosed that henceforth salaries of the workers would be paid on the 24th of every month, but warned that indolence and truancy would not be tolerated.
According to him the governor has already ordered all the permanent secretaries and others involved in pay-rolling of staff to present to him all the documents relating to staff with a view to auditing and ensuring that no ghost worker was included.
Emezue said the immediate past administration carried out an audit of the workers during which several ghost workers were uncovered, but insisted that such exercise handled by human beings must have some errors, hence the governor was determined to correct the remaining errors. He disclosed that arrangements were in top gear to ensure that workers were paid their salaries without delay and that being a worker friendly governor; Gov Ikpeazu would ensure that workers got their due in the scheme of things.
Emezue said the governor had already hit the ground running with the flagging off of seven roads in the commercial city of Aba, and that same feat had been performed in Umuahia and Abia North, adding that no part of the state would be left out. He explained that contrary to speculations, the contractors handling all the jobs were properly screened and that their previous performances in other parts of the country were taken into consideration before the jobs were awarded to them.
He said that notwithstanding, any of the contractors that failed to performance according to specifications would be shown the way out, and that any contractor that jokes with the state would be doing so at his own peril.
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