Ghost Workers Scandal Rock Alvan Ikoku

By Peter Uzoma

Following a Federal Government directive that all its staff must queue into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri has finally submitted herself for verification.

Since three weeks now the exercise started in AlFCE, Owerri, staff of the institution are issued with biometric enrolment forms for Nigeria Federal Institutions and Colleges of Education. A staff’s certificates are screened, authenticated, verified and finally captured physically.

So far about one hundred ghost workers have been discovered because the officers from Abuja carrying out the exercise, insisted on interface with every staff. They rejected video calls or any form of proxy.

An official of the ALFCE senior staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) who spoke to Trumpeta on condition of anonymity said the exercise was worth the while. He wondered how a couple could be living abroad and working and still be staff of the institution.

In his words, “it is a welcome exercise because those promoting and covering up ghost workers are really having hard times. He said that the federal government had directed that any staff under its payroll who had not been captured by IPPIS would not receive December salaries.

The SSANU official said, “Initially we resisted joining IPPIS because of our peculiarities, but we had to buy into it because almost all federal institution and establishments have joined.

When this Reporter visited AIFEC Owerri last Tuesday, activities were grounded as every staff was seen making sure he/she was captured.

Some of those described as “workers in the diaspora” are said to be returning especially those within reach, and rushing to the school to be captured.