Why There Were Delays in Workers’ Payroll Verification Exercise – Oyo Commissioner Replies Critics
The Oyo State Government has blamed the failure of around 12, 000 employees in the State Civil service to participate in the exercise for the delay in the results of the workers’ audit and verification.
Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, the state’s commissioner for information, culture, and tourism, who made the announcement in Ibadan, also revealed that the State Government has ordered the unregistered employees to do so promptly.
He emphasized the administration headed by Governor Seyi Makinde’s commitment to creating a thorough database and appropriate identity management system that would facilitate efficient employee payment and verification.
The commissioner said, “despite critics castigating the registration and verification of its workforce, the Oyo State Government has expressed continued commitment to the entire civil service”.
Dr. Olatubosun stated that once the registration is complete, it will close all gaps in the state civil service and prevent the threat of phantom personnel.
Olatubosun, who acknowledged that the process began more than a year ago, expressed disappointment over the suggestion that the exercise was a scam, claiming that such a claim was unsupported by the facts.
He said that once the procedure was through, the State Government will find any ghost employees and determine the number of current employees and retirees on the government payroll.
“Except for the unfounded insinuations from some quarters, the Oyo State Government is encouraged by the response of citizens, residents and workers to the ongoing exercise. Many Civil servants have registered so far and those who are yet to, have been given the opportunity to. In the work-force, this will block so many loopholes’ Olatubosun stated.
‘I am aware that new registrants are at the ICT office, participating in the audit exercise for workers’, he stated.
“With the development, civil servants, public officials, teachers, local government employees and retirees have been screened in phases during the exercise that commenced over a year ago at the state secretariat in Ibadan”.
Dr. Olatubosun stated that the effort, which aims to identify those taking money out of the government’s coffers, added that the program was primarily intended to help the government reduce waste, stop payroll leaks, and have accurate data for planning rather than just verifying certificates.
