The Katsina State Government has dismissed 3,488 workers from local government councils and education authorities after a biometric screening exercise uncovered widespread fraud.
Governor Dikko Radda announced the decision on Wednesday while receiving the report of a 10-member screening committee. The exercise reviewed 50,172 employees across 34 local councils and Local Education Authorities (LEAs), verifying 46,380 and flagging the rest for fake credentials, ghost employment, absenteeism, or refusal to appear.
The governor said the audit created the state’s first unified digital database of council and education staff. Full implementation of the committee’s recommendations is expected to save the state about ₦453.3 million monthly.
According to committee chairman Abdullahi A. Gagare, the probe uncovered falsified birth certificates, underage workers, illegal promotions, and cases of officers subletting their positions. It also recovered ₦4.6 million from individuals drawing double salaries or receiving pay while on leave.
One major case involved the Education Secretary of Zango LEA, accused of conspiring with others to add 24 ghost workers to the payroll. Gagare described the action as a “serious breach of trust.”
Governor Radda acknowledged political risks in sanctioning the report but said reforms were necessary. “Many people warned me that this could damage my politics and cost me elections. But I was not worried, because Katsina needed system reform and doing the right thing,” he said.
He directed that the report be converted into a White Paper for full implementation. Radda disclosed that local councils already hold about ₦500 million in savings, which could rise to ₦5.7 billion if the findings are enforced.
“Despite high allocations, many local governments still struggle to pay salaries due to wage bills inflated by non-genuine workers. Councils such as Kafur, Malumfashi, and Daura are the most affected,” he said, adding that savings would be redirected to grassroots development.
“This is how we can have money to work for the general people in our local governments,” the governor stressed.
The screening committee included four retired permanent secretaries, six directors, 16 co-opted members, and security personnel.
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