Bayelsa loses N24bn annually to payroll fraudsters - Governor

Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Tuesday says that the state government loses about N24 billion annually to the activities of payroll fraudsters.

This is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in Yenagoa.

The statement described the activities of the fraudsters as "massive problem’’.

The statement also said that the administration, in the last four years, had paid over N100 billion on bonds and overpayment incurred by his predecessors.

"We have discovered that there have been a cabal over the years who have been frustrating the efforts of government in sanitising the payroll of its workforce.

"The fraudsters perfect their act through connivance with some financial institutions in the state.

"My administration is determined to sanitise the payroll of the state workforce; we will not relent to clean up the payroll,’’ the statement quoted the governor as saying.

It stated that the government would device a system to control salary payments.

"We have directed all heads of ministries, departments, agencies and school principals to prepare nominal rolls and payroll vouchers.’’