Dickson probes Bayelsa salary frauds

Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has inaugurated a nine-member judicial commission of inquiry to investigate fraudulent falsification of government payroll and other accounts.

The governor, in a statement by his media aide, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, on Saturday, said the measure was part of his efforts to sanitize the civil service and entrench corporate governance in the state.

Justice Doris Adokeme is the chairperson of the commission while Mr. Victor Slaboh is secretary.

The commission which has two months to conclude its assignment is also to extend its investigation into payroll fraud to the eight local goveenment areas in the state.

This is just as the Nigeria Labour Congress, Bayelsa State branch, said though the probe panel was a step in the right direction, it should, however, not be used as a witch-hunt against genuine workers.

“Labour unions have no reservations about the Governor’s probe panel provided it is targeted at uncovering payroll fraud. However, the probe should not affect the genuine workers in the state, ” Chairman, NLC, Bayelsa, Ndiomu John-Bipre, said on Saturday.

On the issue of unpaid salaries of workers, John-Bipre said the NLC was still in discussion with the government, noting that the congress would still meet with the government next week.

Dickson, while inaugurating the commission at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, gave an eight-point term of reference to its members, with a charge on them to investigate in full the circumstances surrounding the state’s payroll of public servants from 2003 till date.

He described the task before the commission as important and sensitive to the survival of the Bayelsa State.

The governor mandated its members to also uncover the person or persons, cartel or gang involved in the suspected fraudulent distortion of the payroll and nominal roll of public servants from 2003 till date.

He stated, “The commission is expected, among other things, to reveal the identities of the perpetrators of the suspected fraudulent falsification of salaries in ministries, departments and agencies of government as well as determine, where possible, the exact amount of government money that may have been lost through the criminal activity.”

According to Dickson, the commission has the responsibility to uncover the method employed by the suspected perpetrators in depriving government of large sums of money.

The governor urged the committee members to recommend measures to recover such stolen funds.

He also called on the commission to make any recommendation as it might deem fit to strengthen government’s accounting and payroll procedures for the future, adding that such measures had become imperative to block leakages of government funds in view of the prevailing economic challenges.