Kwara withholds salaries of 1, 427 workers over invalid payment verifications 

Following the payment verification exercise conducted for all the pensioners as well as the workers in the employ of the Kwara state government, about 1, 427 workers and pensioners will have their salaries and pensions withheld for the months of March and April, 2016.

BusinessDay reports that 1, 427 affected workers and pensioners were found to have submitted invalid Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) which accounted for the suspension of all their entitlements, and called for further investigation on them.

Speaking on State government’should decision to withhold some salaries and pensions in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state on Sunday, Isiaka Gold, Secretary to the State Government, disclosed that the payment verification exercise was conducted to block financial leakages and discover ghost workers as well as pensioners on government’s payroll.

While revealing that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the payments of March and April’s salaries and pensions of 24, 042 workers and pensioners this week, he added that the governor had ordered payment for 144 workers and pensioners who had issues with BVN, but whose defences were genuine.

According to SSG, who is also the Alternate Chairman of the State Committee on Personnel Database Development, the approval follows the final clearance of the affected workers and pensioners by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBBS).

Gold noted that Governor Ahmed had also directed that 390 workers and pensioners found to be operating multiple accounts should be re-screened by the committee, adding that “any worker or pensioner found to be fraudulently collecting salary or pension will not only be made to refund the money, but will also be dealt with according to the law.”