Economics

Exorcising ‘Ghost Workers’ Saves Nigerian State Millions of Dollars

New payment system uncovers thousands of non-existent workers
President Buhari backs drive to cut spending and boost revenue

The rollout of IPPIS saved the government about 85 billion naira in 2017 and 202 billion naira last year, according to Olufehinti Olusegun.
Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg

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By William Clowes

December 6, 2019 at 9:26 AM UTC

Updated on

December 6, 2019 at 1:26 PM UTC

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The Nigerian government saved hundreds of millions of naira by centralizing its employee-payment system -- laying hundreds of thousands of ghosts to rest in the process.