Delta Government tightens payroll controls

The Delta State Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji, has directed the immediate suspension of approval for staff loans for civil servants whose salaries are already heavily encumbered by deductions.

The directive was issued during an unscheduled inspection of the Delta State Computer Centre in Asaba and forms part of measures aimed at protecting workers from financial distress while restoring integrity to the state’s payroll system.

Dr. Oseji, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of Service, Mr. Wilson Chukwuka, stated that the government would no longer tolerate payroll practices that place undue financial pressure on workers.

During the inspection, she expressed concern over cases of absenteeism, abscondment, lateness to work, the prolonged engagement of casual staff beyond approved limits, and what she described as excessive salary deductions.

The Head of Service reviewed staff time books and carried out random salary checks using the payroll system, a process which she said revealed troubling inconsistencies that required urgent attention.

She subsequently directed the Permanent Secretary to issue formal cautions to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), particularly Directors of Finance and Accounts, against excessive and unjustified deductions from workers’ salaries, warning that further violations would attract sanctions.

Dr. Oseji also instructed the Director of Computer, Mr. Tuoyo Eweto, to ensure the timely monthly submission of the state’s wage bill and warned staff of the Computer Centre against soliciting inappropriate gratifications from financial institutions and other organisations involved in salary deductions.

The visit, which featured the Head of Service personally reviewing payroll data, was aimed at strengthening audit verification processes, enhancing transparency, and improving fraud control within the state’s payroll system.