Niger stops salaries as fraudsters forge appointment letters

The Niger State Government has raised the alarm that some suspected fraudsters have forged the appointment letters of the state government and employed officials who are now on the payroll of the government.

Arewa PUNCH learnt that the activities of these fraudsters have resulted in the delay of September salaries to genuine appointees.

As a result of the development, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy Binta Mamman announced that a screening exercise was now compulsory for all political appointees in a bid to weed out the fakes among them.

Mamman made this known in a statement where she impressed it on all staff that only those who scaled through the screening exercise would be paid their salaries.

According to the statement which read in parts: “Our attention has been drawn to the activities of some unscrupulous elements who forged political appointment letters, thereby causing the government to pay, including those who are not genuine appointees of the government.

“We assure you that the screening exercise is ongoing to enable the government to identify the real beneficiaries.

“For the record, the government only gave letters to about 4,000 political appointees of different cadres ranging from Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Coordinators, Special Assistants and others.

“This was done to have an all-inclusive government and to bring everyone on board so as to reduce the rate of unemployment and then give the people a sense of belonging. But unfortunately, some bad eggs went ahead to cause unnecessary scenes by forging appointment letters,” she stressed.

The Commissioner who decried the heavy salary portfolio of the state, which she informed the press now amounts to over N600 million, insisted that “the government has decided to identify the real appointees of the government. This is the only way to checkmate the system so as to reduce the expenses and burden on the government. This way, monies can be channelled to other very important areas in the system.”

Mamman further explained that Governor Bago has good intentions with the idea of inclusivity and deliberate attempt to bring everyone on board, but maintained, “We can not do otherwise than to look inwards and flush out those parading themselves with the fake appointments as being part of the system.

“The screening is still ongoing, and all genuine appointees must appear before the committee, and those parading themselves with forged appointments will be flushed out,” she assured.

Mamman urged the appointees to cooperate with the committee saddled with the exercise so that it would be seamless, pointing out that, “At the end of the day, everyone will go back smiling immediately after the documentation is done, because those who are genuine will get their salaries paid, she emphasised.