From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to undertake a forensic audit of its staff to address the issue of ghost workers on government pay roll.
The House, which stated that this will help reduce the wage bill, also implored the Federal Government to take measures to reduce non-debt recurrent expenditures.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Ademorin Kuye on “Need to investigate the nation’s galloping non-debt recurrent expenditure”, at yesterday’s plenary.
Kuye , in his lead debate, noted that the Federal Government personnel cost, pensions and other non-debt recurrent expenditures has increased from N2.4trillion in 2011 to N8,27trillion in 2023. He explained that the total non-debt expenditure from 2011 to 2023 is N51.97trillion while N42.24trillion expended from 2015 till date represents 81.8% of the total expenditures of the period under review.
According to him, the sharp increase in the wage bill from N2.4 trillion in 2011 and N8.7 trillion in 2023, in a country of 113 million people living in multidimensional poverty is alarming and unjustifiable.
Kuye said it is worrisome that the Federal Government wage bill, pension obligations and other non-debt recurrent expenditures continue to grow significantly, despite the marginal increases in revenues and apparent increases in debt servicing pressure;
“The Debt servicing obligations gulped 97 per cent of the total revenue of the N3.42 trillion generated in 2011, Nigeria expended N3.34 trillion on debt servicing, meaning all Federal
Government’s salaries, overhead and Capital Expenditure was financed with loans and Central Bank of Nigerian support.
“The country’s revenues of N3.42trillion in 2020, N4.39trillion in 2021 and N7trillion in 2022 could hardly fund the wage bill of N5.7trillion, N5.76trillion and N7.1 trillion in 2020, 2021 and
2022 respectively, “
“Despite the present administration economic restructuring policies, revenues cannot continue to pay salaries and other recurrent expenditures when there are still humongous debt servicing obligations to be taken care off,” he said.