JUST IN: Bauchi probes 41, 448 workers, pensioners without BVN

The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed, has constituted a 17-Man Committee to investigate the reason 41, 448 workers and pensioners in the state were not having the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).

The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Comrade Muktar Gidado, who disclosed this on Monday in a chat with newsmen at the Government House in Bauchi, said Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba was appointed as chairman of the committee.

Gidado revealed that the committee was to ascertain whether those without the BVN were bonafide staff and pensioners of the state government and to identify why they were being paid without the Bank Verification Numbers.

Also, the committee is to identify government and bank officials involved in the perpetration of these infractions and recommend appropriate sections against the officials.

He noted that, in the course of its assignment, the committee should recommend to the state government for the payment of their salaries and pensions, those cleared as having authentic BVN and make recommendations incidental to their assignment.

He added that the committee was mandated to submit its report within two weeks, calling on all the affected civil servants and pensioners to support the committee to ensure a hitch free and timely completion of the assignment.

Gidado listed members of the committee as the Governor’s Special Adviser on Civil Service, Mr Abdon Dalla Gin; representative of the State Civil Service Commission; representative of the State Accountant General; Chairman, Bauchi State House of Assembly Committee on Public Service; Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, and Executive Chairman, Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

Others are, representative of the Auditor General both that of the State and Local Government, representative of the State Commissioner of Police, representative of the Director, Department of State Services, State NLC Chairman, and State TUC Chairman.

Also in the committee are; the State Chairman, Negotiation Joint Council; State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Local Employees; State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, while Director of Establishment, Office of the Head of Civil Service is to serve as Secretary of the Committee.