Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State says that the state spends N2.5 billion to pay the salaries of about 67,000 staff who have been identified to be fraudulently receiving salaries from more than one government service each month.
The governor explained that there are government workers who were originally employed in the local government service before being transferred to the state service, yet continue to collect salaries from both services, some of whom were even appointed as Personal Assistants and Special Assistants to the state governor.
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Governor Inuwa, who inaugurated an 11-member committee on the Review and Restructuring of the State Civil Service, said that the committee is to review the structure and functions of the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
To solve the identified dysfunctions, the governor has mandated the committee to suggest ways of reforming the state’s civil service.
“The transition committee had stated in its report the need to reform the civil service for a better service delivery, and when I assumed office I realized that the need was an urgent one,” Inuwa said, speaking at the inauguration of the committee, which is to be chaired by Dr Jalo Daudu, a retired federal permanent secretary and former head of civil service of the state.
“When we came in, what we found was a structure that contains 27 ministries. [But] after careful analysis, we realized that we may not need more than 18; there is no way Gombe State could go with 27 ministries,” said Inuwa.
He added that the size and number of the ministries helps in embedding fraud and abnormalities in the critical sector.
The civil service review and restructuring committee, which was inaugurated at the state government house on Wednesday, becomes the seventh committee Governor Yahaya has set up to review, reform or restructure activities of the state government since he first assumed office on May 29.