Bauchi State Government has suspended with immediate effect, all local government education secretaries, their treasurers, and directors of primary healthcare centres across 20 local government areas of the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Ladan Salihu, who disclosed this in a press statement on Friday, said the move was part of efforts to ensure sanity in the payment of workers’ salaries.

The statement directed the affected officers to handover all affairs of their offices to their immediate subordinates, noting that their suspension was to ensure that investigations into the payment of workers’ salaries are not compromised.

“The state government has found it expedient to make a statement regarding the payment of salaries when findings revealed that more than 41,000 civil servants on the government payroll were being paid without Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs).

This number represents more than 40 percent of the state’s workforce. The issue will be thoroughly investigated, and perpetrators will be brought to account for their deeds,” the statement reads in part.

Vanguard learned that already the state government has directed that salaries meant for the 41,488 workers on the payroll without BVN will be paid by the Accountant-General pending further Investigation. (Vanguard)