Katsina State Government has terminated the employment of 3,488 workers across 34 Local Government Councils (LGCs) and Local Education Authorities (LEAs) following a biometric screening exercise that revealed widespread irregularities.
Governor Dikko Umar Radda received the report on Wednesday, which assessed a total of 50,172 staff members. Of these, 46,380 were verified, while the remainder were found to have fake credentials, ghost postings, were absent without explanation, or refused to participate.
Presented at a State Executive Council meeting attended by top officials and members of the Biometric Screening Committee, the findings highlighted systemic issues in staffing, including falsified birth certificates, underage employment, illegal promotions, and instances where positions were sublet to others.
The 10-member committee also recovered ₦4.6 million from staff receiving double salaries or collecting pay while on leave. Committee chairman Abdullahi A. Gagare cited the case of the Education Secretary of Zango LEA, who allegedly conspired to insert 24 ghost workers, calling it a “serious breach of trust.”
“This exercise was about reforming the system and ensuring accountability,” Governor Radda said. “Many warned that exposing these irregularities could harm my political standing, but the state’s welfare came first.”
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The screening has produced Katsina’s first unified digital database of all LGC and LEA staff, projecting potential monthly savings of ₦453.3 million if recommendations are fully implemented. Radda noted that local governments currently have about half a billion naira in savings, which could rise to ₦5.7 billion under the committee’s reforms.
Despite relatively high revenue allocations, several councils—including Kafur, Malumfashi, and Daura—struggle to meet payroll obligations, largely due to ghost or non-genuine staff. The governor said reducing these inefficiencies would release funds to support grassroots development and benefit local communities.
The screening was conducted by a committee comprising four retired permanent secretaries and six directors, assisted by 16 co-opted members and security personnel. Governor Radda has directed that the findings be formalized into a White Paper for full implementation across all local governments and education authorities in the state.
“This is not about politics; it is about saving the state from the grip of a few and ensuring resources serve the general populace,” Radda added.