The menace of fake agencies, By Reuben Abati

Nigeria's public sector has long grappled with the pervasive issue of "ghost workers" – non-existent employees on the payroll who generate illicit income for corrupt officials. This problem dates back to the 1970s, escalating in the 1980s due to poor record-keeping and manual payment systems. The absence of computerization and central databases allowed fake names to proliferate, with retired or deceased employees remaining on the books.

Subsequent administrations have attempted to tackle this "ghost phenomenon." The Yar'Adua administration introduced the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in 2007 to centralize payroll and eliminate ghost workers. By 2014, approximately 60,000 ghosts were removed from the federal payroll, with state levels reporting even higher figures. The fraud extended to pension payrolls, and some civil servants even collected multiple salaries using false identities.

Despite efforts to computerize payments and introduce biometric identification, resistance persisted. The article notes that the culture of falsehood and fakery is deeply entrenched in the Nigerian public system. However, a new and audacious form of this fraud has emerged: entire Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are now operating as fake entities, openly existing yet being non-existent. This brazen development, described as a scandal and an embarrassment, comes at a significant cost to the state, underscoring Nigeria's disregard for data and proper record-keeping.