The secretary to the government of Delta state, Mr. Festus Ovie Agas, on Tuesday said 26,000 ghost workers have been weeded out of the state’s public service.
Mr. Agas told journalists that the ghost workers were identified through a biometric verification process and the introduction of the clock in, clock out system for workers.
He pointed out that 18,000 other workers were discovered to be parading fake credential.
Agas said the state has embarked on a verification exercise to ensure the integrity of the state’s payroll, an exercise, which he said was not targeted at anybody.
He said: “So far, the partial outcome of the verification exercise, has revealed the reduction of staff strength of about 65, 000 at the inception of Okowa-led administration to about 47, 000 at present, therefore about 26, 000 ghost workers have been fished out.
He lamented the havoc ghost workers have done to the economy of the state.
On infrastructural development, the SSG disclosed that the present administration had constructed 165 roads across urban, rural and riverine areas with a total length of 776.5 kilometers, adding that out of these, 70 road projects with a length of 263 kilometers were completed, while others are at various stages.