The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said that N120 billion had been saved through detection of ghost workers in the various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, made the disclosure at FBN Capital Third Annual Investors Conference held in Lagos.

Okonjo-Iweala said that the figure was N20 billion higher than the N100 billion earlier discovered by the government in February 2013.

She said that government would continue to cover the leakages in the economy to reduce recurrent expenditure and promote development of infrastructure.

“The major problem that distorted current expenditure in the country was the across-the-board increase in salary in 2010,” she said.

Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke on the theme: “2014 and beyond: Managing Growth Prospects and Challenges,” pledged that government would further reduce its recurrent expenditure in 2014 budget.

The minister said that government would continue with its fiscal consolidation to increase job creation and provision of the necessary social amenities.

Okonjo-Iweala said the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be rebased to reflect the growth recorded by various sectors of the economy.

She said that the GDP growth of 10 per cent would remain government’s target in the years ahead.

SOURCE: Nigerian Tribune

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"Who were the operators of the ghost accounts into which the ghost payments were regularly paid?" Who were the Chief Accounting Officers of the MDA's who regularly approved the ghost payments? The civil service is ingrained with corruption, and not until we start making members of the well-organized cult of corrupt officials pay for their atrocities, they surely will always devise new ways to circumvent the system.