Kwara State government has unveiled plans to conduct an audit of its workers, to eliminate ghost workers and certificate racketeering.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who spoke yesterday in Ilorin at a meeting with heads and bursars of state-owned tertiary institutions, said the audit would go beyond biometric verification, as it would involve a thorough assessment, including the authentication of the certificates of workers, to eliminate ghost workers.

He said no blackmail or misinformation would deter his administration from growing internally- generated revenue (IGR), as that was the only way government could meet its obligations to the people and survive the economic downturn.

The governor said while it was common for some people to resist change, the interest of the people must prevail.

Government's directive to tertiary institutions to open a single revenue account with designated banks in a pilot scheme was greeted with speculations that it was planning to hand the management of the institutions to its holding company, Harmony Holdings Ltd.

Urging the people to ignore such rumour, Ahmed said the newly-established Kwara State Internal Revenue Service was the only establishment authorised by law to collect and manage state and local government revenue.

He said the single revenue account would ensure transparency and budgeting, as government would have a better idea of the revenue coming into the coffers of the affected agencies so that it could support them where necessary.

The governor enjoined heads of tertiary institutions to embrace the account, as the new scheme would be a litmus test for their managerial ability.