
News
Anambra commission uncovers 59 dead workers, 40 retirees, 222 ghost staff on payroll
No fewer than 400 ghost workers have been identified as receiving salaries in the Anambra State Local Government Civil Service Commission.
It was gathered that out of the number, 59 are deceased, five are living abroad, and 40 are pensioners still drawing salaries. Several individuals are also said to be involved in certificate fraud, with investigations completed on six cases so far.
The chairman of the commission, Mr Vincent Ezeaka, who disclosed this in Awka on Friday, said that the ghost workers were discovered across the 21 local government areas in the state.
Ezeaka had recently come under attack from workers in the local government system who accused him of unduly victimizing them since his appointment.
Ezeaka, a legal practitioner was accused of working to impress his master, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, by trying to remove many people from the payroll, to ease the burden of the huge wage bill on the governor.

But, reacting to the accusations, Ezeaka said that he was only doing his work, and that he would not be surprised if anyone accused him of working to impress Soludo, as the primary purpose of his appointment was to ensure that he did the work to the satisfaction of his master.
Speaking further, he explained, “The governor gave us a mandate to clear the local government system of ghost workers, so we brought biometric attendance register and we used it for five months, then we made a printout of the first three months, and we got a printout with names of 320 workers in all the 21 local government who never attended work even one day in three months.
“They have zero attendance and never clocked in or out in the system.
“We brought out their names and wrote to JAAC to put them off salary. In the civil service rule, you don’t even need one month of zero attendance to get dismissed, but we didn’t dismiss them, but we put them off the payroll.
“Some reacted and said the machine was not working perfectly, so we gave another chance.
“The intention was not to reduce the wage bill, or victimize anyone, but for them to show that they are workers. To go to work and do the work they are paid for. Out of that 320, only 110 since February this year have been able to come out to prove themselves as workers and we have restored their pay and till today, 220 have not shown up.”
He said the Commission was still worried that the wage bill was high, compared to the number of people that were coming to work, so it did a physical audit of workers.
“We set up a committee to verify the workers. The heads of personnel management in all the local government brought in their workers list, they also attached their schedule of duty, and we went to JAAC and got the salary printout.
“Then we started verifying. Anyone whose name was on the salary printout and was not captured in the schedule of duty was fished out.
“After six weeks, the committee found out that some were retired, some have relocated abroad, some have found job elsewhere, some have also died, but were still eating salaries from this government.”
He added: “We found 59 dead workers, 40 retirees, 222 unidentified workers, some have relocated out of Nigeria but were still earning salaries, while some have found more lucrative jobs, yet their accounts were still being credited with monthly salaries.
“We found the case of a lady (name withheld) who retired from the local government system and got a job in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. She was still receiving salaries, and also receiving pension at the same time, yet receiving salary as a staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
“We have written to the university, and they have confirmed that she is their staff. Another is in Nwafor Orizu College of Education, and she was still receiving salaries from this government. We have the case of people who absconded from work for years, and their salaries were still being paid. One was traced to be living abroad, yet collecting salary here.
“Some people are saying I’m doing this so as to curry favour from Governor Soludo, but I can only say yes. The essence of my being appointed, is it not for the governor to be happy with my performance?
“I cannot quantify how much we have saved the Soludo government in cash, because besides salaries, some of these people would have at some point put in retirement and also collected gratuity and gone ahead to be receiving pension.”
He said his interest is for the system to be sanitized, and that he would stop at nothing to achieve the objective.
Ezeaka added that the salaries of all the ghost workers and others have been stopped.
News
Obi donates ₦10m to Faith Foundation Nursing College, urges Youths to reject ethnic politics
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress( NDC) in the 2027 elections, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday visited the Faith Foundation College of Nursing Sciences, Nsukka, where he expressed delight at the progress of projects underway at the institution.
Obi, who inspected some of the ongoing projects, was received by the Proprietor of the College, Rt. Rev. Dr. Aloysius Agbo, who expressed appreciation for Obi’s longstanding support for the institution.
Agbo disclosed that Obi’s earlier financial contributions had played a significant role in giving the institution the confidence to embark on many of the projects currently under construction.
The Proprietor said the support had encouraged the management to continue investing in the development of the institution and its facilities.
In continuation of his support for the institution, Obi presented a cheque of ₦10 million towards the ongoing projects.

He also assured the management that he would continue to partner with the institution until it realises its objective of producing its first set of nurses.
Obi said his intervention was part of his broader commitment to supporting education and healthcare, particularly the training of quality healthcare professionals who would contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He thereafter proceeded to St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Nsukka, where he participated in the 68th Annual Conference of Anglican Youths.
Addressing the youths, Obi urged them to recognise their responsibility in building a new Nigeria, stressing that the country they desire cannot emerge without their active participation in shaping its future.
He urged them to reject politics based on tribe, religion or language and instead insist on electing leaders with proven character, competence, capacity, integrity and strong ethical values.
According to him, the future of Nigeria depends not only on the leaders the country produces but also on the standards citizens demand from those who seek public office.
“Our future depends not only on the leaders we produce but also on the standards we demand. Together, we can build the New Nigeria that is possible,” he said.
News
Gunmen invade Kogi communities, kill residents
Several people were feared killed on Thursday when armed men reportedly attacked three communities in Kupa Kingdom — Abugi, Kuchinda and Mikugi — in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State in an alleged reprisal attack.
Residents said the incident began around 8am when a herder, suspected of being a cattle rustler, was shot and killed during a heated altercation with local vigilantes at a checkpoint in the community.
“Few hours after the checkpoint incident between a herder and vigilantes, armed hoodlums invaded the town, shooting sporadically from different directions.
“In the process, several residents were killed, with many others sustaining injuries, as the armed hoodlums attacked streets, markets and even the palace of our paramount traditional ruler in the town.
“As of yesterday night, seven people were confirmed dead. The death toll may rise in the days ahead as the search for and confirmation of victims is still in progress.

“Moreover, the situation will become clearer when families who sought refuge in safer communities start returning from their various hiding places,” Ahmed, a resident of Abugi, said.
A son of the Mayaki of Kupa, Prince Aliyu Isah Kabir, who is the APC Youth Leader of Kupa South Ward, was confirmed to be among the victims of the attack.
The Lokoja Local Government Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Adamu, confirmed the incident, saying the attack on the Kupa communities had led to loss of lives and destruction of property.
Adamu said: “We have charged the relevant security agencies to swing into action and arrest anyone who has a hand, directly or remotely, in the attack and bring them to face the law.
“The government is saddened by this devilish act and will leave no stone unturned in getting justice for the deceased. I want to appeal for calm while the relevant security agencies take action.”
The Kogi State Government also condemned the attack, describing it as tragic, senseless and unacceptable.
In a statement issued on Friday, the state government described the incident as a reprisal attack and vowed to investigate the circumstances surrounding it, identify those responsible and prosecute them as a deterrent to others.
In the statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, the government said: “The Kogi State Government condemns in the strongest terms both the killing of the unarmed herder and the subsequent reprisal attack.
“These are criminal acts that have no place in our society. Anyone found to have participated in either incident, regardless of status or ethnic affiliation, will face the full weight of the law.
“We appeal to all residents to remain calm and resist the temptation of reprisals. We also urge members of the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that will aid ongoing investigations and the arrest of all those responsible.”
According to the statement, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo sympathised with the families of the deceased and directed “security agencies to immediately restore calm, take control of the situation and apprehend those responsible for the killings.”
The government also appealed for calm, urging residents to avoid further retaliation and provide security agencies with credible information as investigations into the incident continue.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command was contacted over the development, but its spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, did not respond to calls and a text message as of the time of filing this report. (Daily Trust)
News
PFIPC probe: ICPC uncovers two more fake agencies linked to Adeyemi
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two more fake agencies operated by the self‑styled Director‑General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi.
ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after he submitted the commission’s interim report on the existence and operation of the fake agency at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Dr. Aliyu said the investigation revealed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was never established by law or executive order.
According to the interim report, the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged, while the PFIPC illegally appropriated offices and instruments from the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
He said the fake agency, using the former PEAC office, engaged in false representation, widespread impersonation and various illegal activities that exploited weaknesses in verification and inter‑agency oversight.

He further stated that the investigation uncovered two additional fake government agencies: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (PIFA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA).
“These agencies were created using forged legislative instruments and were used to open bank accounts for illegal activities,” he said.
The ICPC boss said Adeyemi changed the name of the fake agency from Foreign Investment Promotion Council to Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and attempted to expand its mandate to include revenue generation.
He said: “The investigation found no funds were approved or disbursed for the fake PFIPC/PEAC, and there were no weaknesses in the State House or CBN system.”
Some recommendations of the committee, which was given 30 days to unravel the mystery behind the existence of the fake agency, include prosecution of Mr. Adeyemi; imposing administrative sanctions on public officers who facilitated the illegal operations; and instituting reforms to improve internal controls
Related News
ICPC clears Gbajabiamila, says Adeniyi’s appointment letter was forged
Fake Agency: State House denies requesting budget code from OAGF
PFIPC Probe: Family raises alarm over planned Reps’ interrogation of Adeyemi in custody
The public officers who were said to be collaborators are from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Accountant‑General’s Office, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.
“The report is interim and the investigation continues to uncover more details to file criminal charges against Adeyemi and his collaborators,” he said.
Dr. Aliyu added that President Tinubu has taken note of the findings and has expressed his commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing the issue.
-
News3 days agoBREAKING: EFCC freezes Osun govt bank account days to election
-
Entertainment3 days agoPopular Nollywood Actress dies after battle with cancer
-
News3 days agoMalpractice: WAEC withholds 167,486 WASSCE results
-
News21 hours agoIGP appoints new Police Commissioners
-
News16 hours agoAtiku raises alarm over ‘mysterious’ payment into his private bank account
-
News1 day agoCourt remands Ex-DSS Officer in Kuje Prison over alleged support for IPOB
-
News19 hours agoCourt remands man for allegedly hacking SunTrust Bank Server, diverting N800 million
-
Uncategorized2 days agoFG to forge stronger partnership with Catholic Bishops, others — Akume




