Gombe sacks 440 ghost health workers, saves ₦4.5bn — Gov Yahaya

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has revealed that his administration has uncovered and removed about 440 ghost workers from the state’s health sector payroll, a discovery that has saved the government more than ₦4.5 billion.

The governor made the disclosure on Thursday while addressing participants at the maiden Gombe State Health Summit held at the Gombe International Conference Centre.

He explained that the fraud was unearthed following the introduction of a biometric attendance system across health facilities, a policy designed to curb absenteeism and block financial leakages in the system.

“In order to eliminate ghost workers and reduce absenteeism, we introduced a biometric attendance system, exposing about 440 ghost workers and saving over ₦4.5bn,” Yahaya revealed.

According to the governor, the measure is part of a broader reform strategy to reposition the state’s health sector, which he said was in a deplorable condition when he assumed office in 2019.

“From revitalising our primary healthcare centres to modernising secondary facilities and establishing contributory health and pharmaceutical schemes, our vision has been to create a seamless, comprehensive healthcare ecosystem for Gombe,” Yahaya said.

The governor noted that beyond cutting down wastage, the reforms are intended to ensure transparency, efficiency, and improved delivery of healthcare services to citizens across the state.