- Only those who pass the screening will receive their salaries
The Niger State Government has raised concerns over a fraud scheme involving forged appointment letters, leading to the employment of unqualified individuals who are now on the government payroll.
The scam has reportedly delayed September salaries for legitimate appointees.
In response, the state’s Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Binta Mamman, announced a mandatory screening exercise for all political appointees to identify and remove the fraudulent employees.
“Our attention has been drawn to the activities of unscrupulous individuals who have forged appointment letters, causing the government to pay salaries to those who are not genuine appointees,” Mamman said in a statement.
She confirmed that only those who pass the screening will receive their salaries. According to the commissioner, the government originally issued about 4,000 legitimate appointment letters across various positions, including Commissioners, Special Advisers, and Senior Special Assistants.
Mamman stressed the need for the screening to reduce the state’s financial burden, with the monthly salary expenses now exceeding N600 million. “This process is crucial to ensuring that funds are redirected to more important areas within the system,” she added.