The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said in Abuja on Tuesday that it had discovered 37,395 ghost workers on the payroll of the federal civil service.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the Acting Chairman of INEC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, announced the figure at an anti-corruption sensitisation programme.
Magu said that apart from the widespread procurement frauds in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the issue of ghost workers was a source of serious concern for the commission.
“The EFCC has uncovered 37,395 ghost workers in the federal civil service and investigation is still going on.
“Our investigations have so far revealed that the Federal Government has lost close to N1bn to these ghost workers.
“The figure will definitely increase as we unravel more ghost workers buried deep in the federal civil service payrolls,” he said.
The EFCC head also revealed that the EFCC hve established a procurements fraud unit to investigate any public procurement law violation. He also warned civil servants to keep their noses clean as anyone caught could suffer imprisonment or be dismissed from service.
“In regard to procurement frauds, there has been a sharp rise in the number of petitions coming to the commission relating to violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
“That is what informed my setting up a procurement fraud unit which has since commenced investigations of procurement fraud cases, with some of those cases already in courts.
“Let me warn that civil servants found guilty under the Public Procurement Act risk terms of imprisonment ranging from five years to 10 years and in addition, may face dismissal from the service.
“The commission is determined, more than ever before, to rid all MDAs of all forms of fraudulent activities,” Magu said.
Mr. Magu also said that the EFCC intended to place suggestion boxes at designated places for people to drop their petitions and reports of corrupt practices to assist it in the fight against corruption.