Spread the love
The State Investigative Bureau operatives attached to the ongoing Staff Screening Appeals Committee have arrested a civil servant from Ibaji Local Government Area, Atule Austin, who is alleged to have been earning salaries from both Ibaji Local Government Council and the Teaching Service Commission for the past 10 years.
He is believed to have fraudulently earned over N21.9m from the two organizations in the period under review.
Briefing newsmen at the Kogi State Government House, Lokoja on the incident, the Director General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo said the fraud was discovered by members of the Screening Appeals Panel.
According to Fanwo, Mr. Atule has been working with both Ibaji Local Government Council and the Teaching Service Commission since 2005; earning a monthly salary of N105,050.40 from the TSC and N77,671.67 monthly from Ibaji Local Government Area, totaling N21,926,648.40.
He said Mr. Atule has been consistently promoted by the authorities of the Local Government Council despite not going to work.
The man who was employed as a Finance Officer told the panel he has no schedule.
Mr. Atule admitted that he committed the fraud, pleading with the Governor for forgiveness.
He also admitted that the Screening Exercise has exposed a lot of rot in the civil service.
Speaking further, the Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo said the Screening Exercise is the best thing to have happened to the people of Kogi State as it will not only clear the rot in the civil service, but also re-engineer the minds of the people.
He said no State can grow when people earn two salaries and deprive the youth of the opportunity to secure jobs.
Spread the love
