FG lost N1b to ghost workers - EFCC boss says

chika ebuzor

April 20, 2016 6:57 AM

Magu also said there was massive procurement fraud going on in ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

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Magu said the EFCC also discovered that the government lost N1b as a result of the ghost workers.

He said “The EFCC has uncovered 37,395 ghost workers in the federal civil service. And investigation is still going on.

“Our investigations have so far revealed that the Federal Government has lost close to N1 billion to these ghost workers.

“The figure will definitely increase as we unravel more ghost workers buried deep in the federal civil service payrolls.”

To counter the sharp practices of the civil servants, the EFCC boss said the agency has set up procurement fraud unit to handle cases in that area.

Magu said “In regard to procurement frauds, there has been a sharp rise in the number of petitions coming to the commission relating to violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

“That is what informed my setting up a procurement fraud unit which has since commenced investigations of procurement fraud cases with some of those cases already in courts.”

“Let me warn that civil servants found guilty under the Public Procurement Act risk terms of imprisonment ranging from five years to 10 years and in addition may face dismissal from the service.

“The commission is determined, more than ever before, to rid all MDAs of all forms of fraudulent activities,” the EFCC boss added.

Magu also advised the civil servants to shun all forms of corruption.

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chika ebuzor