The Zamfara State Government has stated that it does not know the number of civil servants in the state.
The government lamented over the alarming number of ghost workers in the State Civil Service.
Speaking to newsmen in Gusau, the State Head of Service (HoS), Barrister Ahmad Liman, said the situation has become perplexing and alarming.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the ghost workers are mainly in the health and education sectors.
He, however, stated that a verification exercise to ascertain the number of workers is still ongoing.
“In a particular hospital, there were 22 health workers receiving salaries, but the verification revealed that only two health workers are genuine,” the HoS lamented.
The government official explained that the verification exercise will be concluded at the end of November 2024, after which a committee on salary will be constituted.
The HoS, who is also the Chairman, Steering Committee on Verification Exercise, pointed out that the present administration in the state inherited some unsolved issues from the past government.
“It was discovered that the implementation of the 2019 minimum wage of N30,000 was faulty.
“As soon as the verification and salary committees submit their reports, the state government will implement the new minimum wage of N70,000.
“We cannot implement new minimum wage without knowing the number of civil servants in the state,” the HoS said.