In a comprehensive investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), it has been revealed that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is at the forefront of a significant ghost worker scandal. The ICPC identified 22,074 suspicious personnel on the Federal Government’s payroll, despite the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). This fraudulent activity spans various Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), tertiary institutions, and notably, the NPF.
The report, dated August 14th, 2024, highlights that last year alone, the government disbursed N37,103,337,614.40 to these suspicious employees. Among the MDAs, 12,714 personnel were listed on the payroll but not included in the service-wide nominal roll from January to December 2023, resulting in a financial impact of N34,808,740,634.37. Additionally, approximately 4,190 former police officers were found on the IPPIS payroll.
The ICPC's analysis of the NPF payroll for December 2023 revealed that out of 350,028 names on the nominal roll, 37,160 were described as "ex-employees," with 37,129 marked as "inactive" and 31 still categorized as "active." Furthermore, 4,190 ex-employees received salaries amounting to N980,273,690.51 in December 2023. Discrepancies were also found in the records of 962 staff, where names and bank details did not match.
The investigation uncovered multiple instances of fraud, including double salary payments, fictitious names on the IPPIS, and the use of fake identities to embezzle public funds. For example, 95 personnel across various MDAs had discrepancies between their payroll and nominal roll identities, with eight sharing the same family name and one individual linked to two different IPPIS accounts. At the Ministry of Works, 212 officers listed on the IPPIS payroll, with a combined monthly salary of N31,986,324.40, were absent from both the ministry’s nominal roll and the service-wide nominal roll.
These findings underscore the need for stringent measures to prevent such fraudulent activities. Recommendations include conducting background checks, keeping detailed records, having multi-party approvals, providing anti-fraud training, implementing audit processes, clarifying financial procedures, and using a payroll partner.
The ICPC's revelations are part of an anti-corruption system assessment initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, aiming to address and rectify the pervasive issue of ghost workers within the federal payroll system.
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