In a bid to curb payroll fraud and strengthen public service integrity, the Gombe State Government has commenced a statewide staff verification exercise to track and fish out ghost workers from its workforce.
The exercise is designed to create a reliable and comprehensive database aimed at enhancing transparency, service delivery, and workforce planning.
The initiative also seeks to ensure accurate documentation of staff records and address longstanding issues within the state’s civil service, including overstaying in service, missing documents, and unaccounted personnel.
“The exercise will enable us to know exactly who is on the payroll and ensure effective management of human resources,” said the Chairperson of the State Civil Service Commission, Rabi Jimeta.
While inaugurating the verification exercise in Gombe on Wednesday, Jimeta assured workers that the process was not meant to retrench anyone.
She noted that about 7,000 civil servants would be physically verified over an eight-week period, with their data updated and captured in a secure digital database.
“The aim is to determine the actual number and status of existing directorates and their staffing composition across all cadres,” Jimeta explained, adding that the exercise would enhance resource management, improve productivity, and support future recruitment and succession planning.
The verification covers all civil servants except those in the judiciary, teaching, and medical sectors, who will be included later under other government arms.
Jimeta urged staff to cooperate fully, stressing that the reform aligns with Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s vision for a digitalised, paperless civil service.
State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Yusuf Bello, assured that the union would monitor the exercise closely.
“Workers with genuine records have nothing to fear,” he said, emphasising that the union would not defend any employee involved in fraudulent activities.
