Masari Orders Workers To Refund N10m

Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has directed that 64 health workers found to have received double salaries from both the state government and some development partners must refund the overpayments put at N10.1m.

The governor gave the directive shortly after he received the report of a five-member committee set up to look into the staffing, welfare package and distribution of health workers in the local government areas of the state.

Another committee also looked into the distribution and remuneration of the teachers in the councils.

The two committees were under the chairmanship of Alhaji Maigari Danjuma.

One of the two committees was inaugurated last year December while the other was inaugurated March, this year.

He said, “The affected workers must refund the N10.1m to the government and choose to either work with the government or with the development partners.’’

Masari also directed that senior nurses working in secondary school clinics should be redeployed to hospitals with immediate effect.

He said the nurses should be replaced with health attendants.

Earlier, Danjuma said the state has 10,415 health workers, adding that the heath workers receive N1.019bn monthly.

Masari, who was worried about the findings of the committees, also directed the state Head of Service, Mohammed Aliu, and the Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Mohammed, to thoroughly implement the committees’ findings and recommendations.

He said, “On the workers collecting double salaries, we cannot condone this. This is fraudulent. The law must be applied. In addition, they must refund every kobo they have collected. We must also examine the roles and functions of the Local Government Service Commission.”