The Committee on the Gombe State Integrated Payroll Payment Gateway and Human Resource Management Information System has called on civil servants on Grade Level 1 to 12 to resume work, because the Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Directives has expired.
The Gombe State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Muhammad Magaji, made the announcement during a press briefing on the implementation of the Biometrics Payroll System Programme in the month of May 2021.
Biometric Programme
Mr. Magaji said the biometric programme in operation in the state was in three phases, with data capture of all eligible workers in both the state and the local government areas being the first, followed by the present phase of attendance registration or capture, which registers someone’s presence at work and then the final stage, which is the stage, where every worker would be attached to his work schedule.
“At that level, we will be able to know areas where we have overstaffing, so that we move them to areas of need or understaffing and take care of that by bringing people into those areas,” Mr. Magaji said.
He said the importance of installing the biometric attendance system was to check payroll fraud in the state’s civil service, as well as help in reducing or eliminating payroll fraud.
Above all, the Gombe State Commissioner for Finance said the month of May recorded 863 staff suspended, with salaries of 51 million, 608 thousand, 226 naira saved in the Suspense Account of the state.
He said those being paid, but suspended were 527 staff, with salaries of 38 million, 185 thousand 847 naira, while 431 staff with salaries of 17 million, 657 thousand 106 naira had been exonerated due to the Covid Directives.
Mr. Magaji said of 96 technical hitches were recorded and salaries restored after resolving the cases, which amounted to 5 million, 364 thousand, 145 naira 59 kobo.
He said those granted approval and on Excuse Duty were 147, with salaries worth 12 million, 636 thousand 372 naira and 54 kobo, but that they had been restored to the payroll and their salaries paid, while those granted waivers were 16 in number, with 558 thousand, 360 naira, 69 kobo.
Mr. Magaji said there was one error of omission, who was not paid, but has now been restored and paid the salary of 297 thousand 710 naira 73 kobo, due to the error on the side of the committee.
The Gombe State Commissioner for Finance said the total number of restorations in the month of May was 260 staff, with salaries amounting to 18 million, 856 thousand, 590 naira, while records of 390 staff with salaries of 15 million, 790 thousand 274 naira still being withheld in the Suspense Account because there were no explanations to their whereabouts.
Mr. Magaji said the system was treating three different categories of workers, which are staff suspended because they fail to turn up for enrolment, those suspended and under investigation due to insufficient attendance and those being investigated, but had been paid salaries.
He, however, said the last category may end up being suspended and investigated for the offence they were found with.
Confidence Okwuchi
