At the grand finale of Rivers State’s 2025 Civil Service Week, Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas revealed something chilling: ₦5 billion saved after he wiped ghost workers and payroll fraudsters from the state’s August wage bill.

More than a cleanup, Ibas called it a fiscal exorcism—one that set Rivers State back on track toward development and better governance.

What Ibas Uncovered

Behind the curtain: a painstaking staff verification operation. It exposed non-existent employees—the classic “ghost workers”—getting paid through the system. The result? A reallocation of ₦5 billion into legitimate service delivery.

Where the Money Will Go

The money isn’t vanishing into thin air. Instead, Ibas promised to inject it into critical infrastructure and social programs—areas often stretched under tight budgets and bureaucratic leakages.

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Reform Beyond the Refund

The event—titled “Five Years to 2030: Accelerating Public Service Delivery for a Sustainable Future”—was more than a reveal. It doubled as a springboard for sweeping civil service reforms, including:

* Salary and allowance recalibration for MDAs’ heads
* A new ₦85,000 minimum wage at the local government level
* Pension boosts (now ₦2.6bn/month) and contributory healthcare for retirees
* Mandatory health insurance and group life policies for all civil servants
* Modernization of state media outlets and launch of the “Civil Service Handbook” and “The Bureaucrat” magazine

Ghostbusters in Government

Let’s face it: discovering ₦5 billion in ghost payments is an awful embarrassment—but a necessary one. It’s rare for killers of corruption to be applauded—especially when they’re also steering the state’s ship.

This salary purge might just be the moment Rivers State begins to restore trust between the people, the public sector, and the promise of progress.