Published June 5, 2025
By Obaro Becky
The Jigawa State Government says it has uncovered approximately 7,000 ghost workers during a verification of state employees working in various agencies and departments.
This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Finance, Hannatu Sabo, on Wednesday in Dutse, the state capital, during an interview with journalists to mark Governor Umar Namadi’s two years in office.
According to Sabo, the ghost workers refused to come forward for verification, which led to their removal from the payroll.
“The fake employees were removed from the payroll as they failed to report for the verification exercise.
“The government’s commitment to transparency and accountability has also been demonstrated through the verification exercise and the removal of ghost workers from the payroll,” she emphasized.
The commissioner attributed the success of the verification to the government’s efforts to streamline its workforce and eliminate fraudulent practices.
“The Jigawa State Government’s efforts to eliminate ghost workers and streamline its workforce demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability,” she stressed
“The exercise also led to the recruitment of new employees under the J-Health, J-Teach, and J-Agro programmes,” she added.
Sabo highlighted the government’s commitment to paying its employees a decent salary, stating that the state is paying 100 per cent of the new salary structure, making it one of the highest-paying states in the country.
In addition to the salary payments, the commissioner revealed that the state has received additional funds from the Federal Government, which will further boost the state’s revenue.
“We have received additional funds from the Federal Government through the monthly allocation to the state and the local government councils, which will go a long way in supporting our development projects,” she said.
The commissioner revealed further that the Jigawa State Government has also demonstrated its commitment to the timely payment of salaries, with employees receiving their salaries before the 25th of each month, as directed by the governor.
“We are paying salaries before the 25th of each month to employees, as directed by the governor,” Sabo said.
She announced that the government has made significant investments in various sectors, including education and energy, saying that “Jigawa State Government under the leadership of Governor Namadi have purchased a privately owned Khadija University in Majia, and the government has also acquired shares in the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) for the good of the citizens in the state.
“The purchase of Khadija University and the acquisition of shares in KEDCO are expected to boost the state’s revenue and improve the quality of education and electricity supply. The government’s support for microfinance banks will also provide financial services to more citizens, especially in rural areas.”
She also noted that during the two years of the current administration of Namadi, the state government has also supported microfinance banks in some local governments, with plans to open branches in the remaining local governments that do not have banks.
“The governor has ordered the opening of microfinance bank branches in the remaining local governments that do not have banks,” Sabo added.
