10,800 Kano workers not sacked, we stopped salary to conduct investigation – Kano Gov’t

Kano state government has said that it suspended recruitment of over 10 thousands staff by the past administration of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over alleged corruption allegations and incompetency of the processes followed in the recruitment exercise.

The state head of civil service, Usman Bala Muhammad disclosed this to newsmen at a joint press conference by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Baba Dantiye; Accountant General, Abdukadir Abdulsalam, and the Head of Service.

Usman Bala said that some of the newly employed staff purchased their letter of employment from some officials of the past administration and that some are even studying abroad. 

According to him the state government didn’t expel the new workers, but their salary has been stopped until after investigation which will be done by a committee formed by the state governor.

“Our recent findings revealed that some of these staff use their money to buy the offers of employment and some are even ghost workers. Among these staff some are even studying abroad. This shows that their recruitment was not done in a proper way. 

“They are not expelled but their salary has been stopped until after investigation. A committee was formed and very soon they will delve into action. Any body that was found to be recruited in a legal way will continue working and will have his salary paid in arrears. But for that that are found illegally employed, they will have to go,” he said. 

On the issue of redeployment of some staff back to their previous agencies and ministries, the HOS said some are deployed based on who knows who and that it wasn’t base on their qualifications.

On his part, the Accountant General of the state, Abdulkadir Abdussalam said Gov. Abba Yusuf ordered his office to stop the salaries of the 10,800 workers employed by Ganduje, as the recruitment was done at the end of their tenure without budget provisions for the new staff.

Abdulsalam said the recruitment is not in accordance with the best global practices and that the committee to be set up would review the procedures for their engagement so as to remove those illegally recruited.

According to him, the previous administration only engaged and promoted workers at the end of its tenure which was deliberately done to undermine the progress of their new government.

Earlier in his remarks, the state commissioner for information, Baba Dantiye charged journalists in the state to employ professional practices of journalism in the course of thei duties for the development of the profession and the state in general.