Ghost Workers Uncovered at Information and Civic Education Ministry
By Vos Writer
A disturbing revelation has emerged from the Auditor-General’s Report regarding the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, uncovering the presence of suspected ghost workers on the Ministry’s payroll.
According to the audit findings, eight individuals listed as staff of the Ministry failed to present themselves for physical verification during the audit exercise. Despite their absence, a total sum of NLe 368,595.84 was paid to these individuals within the period under review.
The Auditor-General recommended that the Director of Human Resources ensure that the 14 affected staff avail themselves for physical verification. Failing this, the report advised that all salaries already paid to the unverified staff be recovered and paid into the Consolidated Fund.
In response, the Ministry’s management stated that an internal verification exercise had been conducted and provided the following clarifications:
1. Two of the individuals, bearing pin-codes 128090 and 139970, were confirmed as legitimate staff members whose names appear on both the Ministry’s approved staff list and the government payroll.
2. A third individual was identified as a staff member of the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation. Management attributed his appearance on the payroll of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education to an administrative error.
3. The remaining five individuals were confirmed not to be staff of the Ministry. Management disclosed that steps had been initiated to formally notify the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) of the discrepancies for urgent review and regularisation to ensure consistency between the Ministry’s staff records and the government payroll.
In its concluding remarks, the Auditor-General stated that all three individuals referenced in the Ministry’s response were physically verified during the audit.
However, the audit team noted that no documentary evidence was provided to demonstrate reconciliation of the staff list and payroll for the remaining five individuals, whose combined annual gross salaries amount to NLe 130,932.00.
In the absence of such evidence, the Auditor-General concluded that the matter remains unresolved, leaving serious concerns about payroll controls and financial accountability within the Ministry.
