By Louis Amoke
The recent submission of the report of the 11-man Committee on Local Government Staff Audit and Biometrics Data Capturing in Enugu State was not only revealing but also a welcome development. The idea was borne out of the desire to sanitize and rekindle the confidence of the people in an effective, efficient and disciplined Local Government Administration in the state.
The report, which was presented by the Chairman of the Committee and Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, uncovered a total of three thousand, nine hundred and sixteen (3,916) ghost workers in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state.
It also revealed that the government has saved a total of One hundred and sixty one million, four hundred and ninety four thousand, five hundred and seventy naira (N161, 494, 570), found to be the difference in the wage bill after the exercise.
While giving a breakdown of the figures, the Committee Chairman disclosed that “from the above, the sum of (N64, 882, 033) sixty four million, eight hundred and eighty two thousand, thirty three naira, and Ninety six million, six hundred and twelve thousand, three hundred and thirty seven naira, twenty kobo (N96, 612, 337.20) only, from local government staff gross salaries and teachers’ salaries, respectively should be regarded as monthly savings.”
From the foregoing, it is observed that the audit report flaunts the extent of the ingenuity of the present administration to weed off the cankerworm of ghost workers’ syndrome and other chronic irregularities that had bedevilled the progress of the Local Government system in the state.
The report has equally created a platform for the governor to actualise his vision to institutionalise a new order and build an enduring legacy that would guarantee transparency, accountability, probity and prudent management of the lean resources of the state and the council areas, especially in this moment of daunting economic situation.
It is unfortunate that workers in some Local Government Areas have not been paid their salaries recently by the Local Council Administrations due to the drastic cut in the revenue inflow from the federal allocation. The Local Government administration as the third tier of government derives its major source of revenue from the Federation Account through the State Government, and is saddled with the responsibility of paying Local Government workers’ salaries.
Consequently, while Ugwuanyi has remained committed to regular payment of salaries of workers at the state level and still execute capital projects in spite of the present economic realities, it has been difficult for the third tier of government to fulfill its obligation of paying Local Government workers’ salaries in most states of the country because of paucity of funds.
It is in view of the foregoing and yearning for a new order, that one appreciates the importance of the outcome of the audit committee to revival the Local Government system in Enugu State.
The Committee’s 26 recommendations, which include the disengagement of workers found to have falsified their age records; those employed contrary to the civil service rules; those found to be impersonators in the system as well as engagement of more teachers in the primary schools in the state and general posting of local government staff, among others, are not only apt and timely, but also stand as the corporeal substance of the survival instinct of the Local Government administration in the state, and therefore, require the urgent consideration of the government.
Again, the forte of the above recommendations shows the level of thoroughness and commitment displayed by the Committee in tackling its responsibilities, in line with the governor’s ethos of leadership.
It would be recalled that Governor Ugwuanyi while inaugurating the committee on July 23, 2015, noted that the Committee’s report will be central to the successful execution of his administration’s plan to institute far reaching reforms that would restore sanity to the local government system and bring to an end, “the incessant complaints, disputes, confusion, impunity and uncertainty” that had long bedevilled personnel administration in the third tier of government.
He added that the staff audit exercise was intended to help his administration identify and flush out ghost workers and equally plug all avenues of leakages and wastages that had hitherto weighed down the finances of the Local Government Councils in the state.
While emphasising the importance of the exercise, the governor charged members of the committee to tackle the new assignment with zeal, and also bring their wealth of experience, competence and personal integrity to bear in the discharge of their duties for the overall success of the exercise, stressing that “failure is certainly not an option.”
One is glad to note that the assurances by Hon. Ubosi that the panel would “deliver on its mandate in order to move the state forward” was not a lip service, but an accomplished mission geared towards the reorganisation of the style of governance at the grassroots for a stable, decent, efficient, transparent and result-oriented Local Government administration in Enugu State.
There is no doubt that Ugwuanyi as a leader committed to the wellbeing of the people would consider and implement the recommendations of the Committee to the letter, unlike in most instances in the society where such reports are received and swept under the carpet.
The governor’s promise, while receiving the report, that “the report will go a long way in assisting the government in the on-going efforts to track down ghost workers and instil fiscal discipline in the state public service” is a clear indication that it would be given the priority attention it deserves.
It is therefore, strongly believed that the gains of the on-going reforms in the Local Government administration in Enugu State would bring about the desired positive change that could propel the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people, especially those at the grassroots.
Louis Amoke wrote from Enugu, Enugu State.
