Ghost Workers Uncovered: 20 Fake Medical Doctors on Zamfara Payroll

The Zamfara State Government has discovered 20 medical doctors listed as ghost workers in a verification exercise intended to facilitate the implementation of the new ₦70,000 minimum wage for civil servants.

Addressing a press conference in Gusau on Wednesday, the State Head of Service and Chairman of the Workers Verification Committee, Ahmed Liman, disclosed that the committee uncovered these ghost doctors during comprehensive checks across various sectors.

Liman confirmed that the full implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage would begin once the verification exercise is completed at the end of November.

Beyond the 20 ghost doctors, Liman revealed that additional ghost workers in other ministries had been identified, with a detailed report on the findings expected to be released following the exercise’s conclusion.

He noted that Zamfara State currently has a workforce of approximately 34,000, excluding local government employees. The committee’s goal is to present an accurate workforce count to the governor to facilitate the minimum wage implementation.

“I assure that, upon receiving the committee’s report, the government will approve the full implementation of the new minimum wage,” Liman said.

The verification committee, chaired by Liman and including representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), is working to complete the verification process within the planned timeframe.