Abia State government has unmasked 300 workers parading fake certificates in its local government service commission just as it discovered 130 ghost teachers.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Obinna Oriaku disclosed this while briefing newsmen at Government House, Umuahia, the state capital, on the government’s disbursement of the Paris Club Inflow Fund.
Although he did not indicate the categories of the certificates and grades of teachers, he said the government would soon take necessary actions against the suspects.
Oriaku announced that the government had resolved to pay public primary school teachers in the state two out of undisclosed months of salary arrears.
However, the statement is believed in some quarters to be aimed at truncating a planned industrial action by the teachers, scheduled to commence on Monday, January 16, over the arrears.
He listed others who are to benefit from the N5.8b earmarked by the government out of the fund for settlement of arrears and allowances, to include pensioners and local government staff.
Oriaku disclosed that schedules for the payments had been forwarded to banks.
He revealed that representatives of the state chapters of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Union of Teachers and Nigeria Union of Pensioners took part in the committee that appropriated the amount.
