From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has insisted that its war against payroll fraud in the civil service system is based on water-tight evidence.
Chief of Staff to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, Mr. Talford Ongolo, who stated this, on Tuesday, faulted claims by those peddling stories that the ongoing battle against payroll fraud and reforms in the state and local government service, are selective.
According to Ongolo, the state government is unperturbed by failed attempts to blackmail government officials and use of propaganda against the Governor Seriake Dickson administration.
He declared that the ongoing reforms have saved the local government and state civil service millions of naira through discoveries and blockage of leakages.
Ongolo spoke at the end of a two-day capacity building training and workshop programme for media practitioners in Bayelsa State with the theme ‘Modern Information Management: The role of Media Organisations, changing the narrative of Bayelsa State.’
Ge maintained that despite the ongoing propaganda launched against the State Government by the payroll fraudsters, “we have made discoveries and reduced the over bloated wage bills of some local government councils.”
Ongolo called on media practitioners in Bayelsa State to support the Governor Seriake Dickson administration in its battle to rid the state of payroll fraudsters,
“ In Ogbia alone, over N40 million was reduced from the wage bill. In some cases, some of the payroll fraudsters include the names of their lovers in the nominal roll. A Lover was promoted from level 4 to level 14 in a civil service within two years. In some cases, a Civil Servant dies and he is substituted with his sibling. These are cases of substitution. We cannot allow these to continue. Presently, nobody can be employed because those due to retire are being placed as workers. But now, in the State Education sector, Teachers are being paid as and when due. Our reforms are evidence based. We cannot allow these criminal elements to take control of the system again. The media is the stabiliser of the system; we should not allow these fraudsters take over again.”