EFCC Begins Payroll Verification In Delta Civil Service, Screens Head Of Service And MDAs Staff In Ghost Worker Crackdown

EFCC Begins Payroll Verification in Delta Civil Service, Screens Head of Service and MDAs Staff in Ghost Worker Crackdown The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced a verification exercise in the Delta State civil service, screening the Head of Service and staff across Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs as part of efforts to uncover ghost workers and strengthen payroll integrity. The exercise, which forms part of a broader anti-corruption drive targeting irregularities in public payroll systems, is focused on identifying fictitious staff entries, eliminating duplicate records, and ensuring that only verified employees receive salaries from the state government. At the centre of the screening process is the Delta State Head of Service, Mininim Oseji, alongside personnel from various MDAs who are being subjected to documentation checks and biometric verification as part of the audit. Officials familiar with the exercise say the verification is designed to clean up the state’s payroll system, which has in the past been affected by allegations of ghost workers, salary padding, and other administrative irregularities common in public service payroll structures. The initiative aligns with long-standing efforts by anti-graft agencies in Nigeria to reduce financial leakages in government wage bills. Similar exercises at both federal and state levels have previously uncovered thousands of fictitious or improperly registered workers, leading to recoveries and reforms in payroll administration. In Delta State, authorities have consistently supported workforce audits and verification programmes as part of broader civil service reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability in public administration. The EFCC has not yet released detailed figures from the ongoing exercise, but officials indicate that the screening is still in progress and may be expanded depending on initial findings. The commission is expected to continue the verification across affected MDAs in the coming weeks, with outcomes likely to inform further administrative or legal actions where discrepancies are confirmed. Further updates are expected as the audit progresses and preliminary results are compiled.