Group challenges Zamfara state govt to publish names of ghost workers

By Victor Ajiromanus

A pressure group, Concerned Citizens of Zamfara, CCZ, his dismissed media reports accusing a former governor of Zamfara State and his Commissioner for Finance of salary racketeering.

Bello Matawalle, Governor of Zamfara state

It also challenged the state government to name those it claimed are benefiting from salary racketeering.

This was made known in a statement made available to Vanguard by the group’s Secretary, Musa Ibrahim Gusau.

The statement reads: 

           “Our attention has been drawn to fabricated lies in the form of a media report signed by the recently appointed Zamfara State Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Rabiu Garba Gusau titled: How Former Zamfara Governor and his Commissioner for Finance Supervised Salary Racketeering.

“Our initial position was to ignore the statement by the Commissioner.

 First, he is ignorant of the difference between salary racketeering, salaries, and allowances.

“However, we decided to set the records straight and guard unsuspecting members of the public against falsehood. 

Of course, we are not unaware of the fact that before the Commissioner’s latest statement, Alhaji Rabiu Garba Gusau had written series of so-called press releasees some of which had attacked highly placed personalities such as the former governor Abdulaziz Yari, Hon. Mukhtar Shehu Idris and others.

“It is whimsical that somebody who denied about 4,972 workers their salaries in Zamfara State called them ghost workers out of ignorance, would do anything deliberately just to score cheap political points and please his paymaster.

“We also know the game plan. That is why we are challenging the Commissioner for Finance, Rabiu Garba Gusau and the government of Zamfara State to come forward and publish the names of the said ghost workers.

 The Commissioner should also be sincere enough to name the 4,972 persons authorised by the former administration of Abdulazeez Yari to be collecting salaries worth over N216 million monthly with their account details and the banks which their salaries are being paid into. The people of Zamfara State are willingly waiting to see such documents publish on the papers to back their claims.

“There was no time in Zamfara when accountability, transparency, and auditing of workers’ salaries were made compulsory than during the administration of Abdulaziz Yari.

“Our decision to join issues with the Commissioner on this occasion was borne more out of the need to call him to order.

We can never be rattled.

“It now appears that he can do anything to rescue the dwindling political fortunes of his boss whose party is at the point of disintegration. 

Is it not laughable that they now author fake press statements?

“Also, the impression they are creating is that there are 1640 staff members whose account numbers are not on the server and another 119 whose names differ from the account numbers benefitting from the system. 

We also challenge the Commissioner to publish the names of the 1640 staff whose account numbers are not on the server and the 119 staff whose names on the payroll differ from the account numbers.

The contents of the commissioner’s statement were part of the ceaseless machinations targeted at Abdulaziz Yari and Mukhtar Shehu Idris.

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Abdulaziz Yari had served Zamfara State meritoriously, honestly, diligently and transparently and he is an institution who represents a symbol of humility and good virtues. 

He is trustworthy, incorruptible; transparent, discipline, meticulous, law-abiding, selfless, God-fearing, humane and tolerant.

 

Yari is a magnificent achiever and a great leader of global repute.”