Payroll Fraud in Bayelsa Massive, Says Dickson

• Payroll Fraud in Bayelsa Massive

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has inaugurated a 14-member Advisory Committee on Public Service Reforms, with a charge on them to mobilise support for the ongoing reorganisation of the state public service.

The committee, chaired by a traditional leader, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, has two months to complete its assignment.

Dickson, while inaugurating the committee in Yenagoa on Friday, described the payroll fraud at local government level as “monumental” and “unfortunate.”

He stressed that the system would collapse completely if nothing urgent and drastic was done to rescue it from the hands of those who were “hell-bent” on sabotaging the efforts of the present administration.

The governor said no level of blackmail would make his administration back down on the implementation of its reform agenda, which he said was aimed at repositioning the public service for efficiency and productivity.

Dickson directed the Commissioner for local government administration, council chairmen and other relevant officials to work closely with the committee, especially in the area of providing baseline data at their disposal to enable the government to know the actual workforce.

He mandated them (committee members) to take out all fake names as well as those who were long overdue for retirement with a view to creating job openings for young and qualified Bayelsans in the public service.

Dickson said, “The local government system, as we speak now, is at the point of almost total collapse because they can’t even meet up their salary responsibilities on a monthly basis because of all the fake names and other terrible things going on in their payroll system.

“And unless the stakeholders and leaders of our state from various local government areas, stand up to sensitise and mobilise our people to say no and stop this fraud that has been going on over the years, our councils will collapse totally. It will be an abdication of our responsibility as leaders of this state if we just sit idly by and watch this happen.”

He urged the committee members to identify and stop leakages, particularly in the local government councils, adding that his administration would review its position on the payment of primary school teachers only when the payroll of the third tier of government in the state was seen to have been sanitised.

Dickson said the ongoing reforms made up an integral part of his second term agenda.

Addressing the committee, Dickson said, “As a result of the groundwork that we have laid over the years, we now have some reliable data to work with. But, the issue still remains the sensitisation of the general public, and that is where your committee comes in: to sensitise the state on the need for the public service reforms that are ongoing.

“And in the process, help to identify the wastages and other issues in the payroll system. The greatest challenge we have is in the local government system. We are also looking at what is going on in the education system.”

The Diete-Spiff-led committee includes Mr. Francis Doukpola (Vice Chairman); Dr. Felix Tuodolo (Secretary), King Joshua Igbugburu, King Joshua Igbagara, King Funpere Akah, King Mozi Agara, King Godwin Igodo and King Bubaraye Dakolo.

Others are King George Lawson, Mr. Agbodo Gbaseimo, Mr. Tons Fetepigi, and Mr. Suru Oyarede.