Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has directed the Head of Service to dismiss officers who were discovered to be collecting double salaries from the state payroll.
Akeredolu gave the directive while receiving the report of the Committee for Verification, Scrutinization and Clean-up of the State Payroll.
The Governor, who suspected that the State Payroll including salaries and pensions had been compromised, set up a seven-member committee to continuously clean up the payroll of infractions.
The committee, led by the Chairman and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Victor Olajorin, on Wednesday submitted its report to the Governor at his office, Alagbaka, Akure.
Receiving the reports, Governor Akeredolu frowned at the different infractions discovered in the payroll.
He lamented the state’s over-bloated workforce which he said was occasioned by many ghost workers.
The Governor also directed that all Ministries, Departments and Parastatals in the state should stop recruitment under any guise until the Salary Verification Committee has concluded its assignment.
“We have an over-bloated workforce, and undoubtedly, I am sure there are many ghost workers. Those who are receiving double salaries, apart from recovering the money from them, I am directing the Head of Service to get them dismissed. They must serve as deterrents to others,” he said.
Governor Akeredolu appreciated the committee for doing a yeoman’s job and not compromising their integrity.
Earlier, Mr Olajorin informed the Governor that the first and major step taken by the committee was to contact the various services including the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Hospitals’ Management Board (HMB), and Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) among others.
