COMMISSION DETECTS GHOST WORKERS IN DELTA LG COUNCILS 09-05-25
By Sadiq Aminu Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Delta State, Doctor Joseph Otirhue says recent verification exercise carried out by the commission revealed that many workers who had abandoned their duty post and travelled overseas for years were still receiving salaries.
Dr Otirhue who made the revelation in Asaba during an interactive session with journalists, said the names of such workers had been expunged from the payroll of the local government councils.
”Early this year, the commission carried out general verification of those who come to work, and those who don’t come to work. Because, you can’t expect government paying huge amount of money on salary to staff, and at the end of the day, the impact is not being felt. That’s why we embarked on that verification, and it yielded a lot of results. We saved so much money for the councils.”, stated Otirhue.
He hinted further, ” There are many workers that have traveled out of the country, and they are not back. Name of those workers have already been deleted out of the payroll because no work; no pay. ”
”And those who have died, as well as those who have been found wanting, and have gone on retirement. Their names have been removed from the payroll. Councils chairmen are aware of it that the verification yielded a lot of results.”
”The local government service commission mandate is to recruit, promote and discipline workers. We will always ensure that they are serious with their duties. If workers are found wanting, it is to have them disciplined ”, Otirhue emphasized.
The Delta State Local Government Service Commission Chairman, while highlighting some landmarks achievements, noted that the Commission was saddled with the mandate to train and retrain staff of the Commission to enable them work efficiently and effectively for optimal performance in their various levels in local government across the state.
He maintained that with the continuous training of staff, a lot had been achieved, saying knowledge is power, and they have used what they learnt to develop their jobs,
Dr. Otirhue who noted that local government workers play a major role in ensuring good administration and governance at the grassroots, described them as stakeholders in the operations of local government in terms of execution of projects, efficiency, and policymaking.
Speaking on the synergy between the Commission and local government council chairmen, Dr Otirhue said the relationship is robust, cordial and beneficial to the people.
Dr Otirhue, flanked by top members of the Local Government Service Commission, used the interactive session to applaud the development strides of the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori since May 29, 2023.