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The Delta state Government is to delete from its pay roll the names of a total of 454 staff on account of attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.

Those affected included no fewer than 291 staff whose records show that they ought to have retired before now, and have accordingly been directed to proceed on immediate retirement with their names deleted from the pay roll.

Also, 163 staff classified as absent for failing to appear before the committee set up by the State Government to verify dates of birth/employment of Public Officers in the state, despite several reminders to that effect are also to be expunged from the pay roll.

The decision of the government issued by the office of the Head of Service (HOS) is a fulfillment of the recommendation of the committee set up by the government of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa following the need to improve on the keeping of staff records, sanitise the salary payment process and ensure the efficiency of the payroll system.

Among the measures put in place to sanitise the staff record keeping system and ensure efficiency of the pay roll is the engagement of Heckerbella Limited for Biometric Verification and Enrolment of Employees and Pensioners, and the implementation of a Biometric Times and Attendance System in the State’s public service, as well as the constitution of the Committee to verify Dates of Birth/Employment of Public Officers in Delta state.

In the reports of the outfits submitted to the government, it was also recommended that “a total of 5,045 staff who have issues with their dates of birth, 724 staff who have issues with their names, 549 public officers who have attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years and other cases arising from BVN issues should appear before the Committee to verify dates of birth/employment of public officers of Delta State for resolution of all issues connected therewith.

It pointed out however, that “the salaries of public officers in the category of those who have attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years are to be stopped forthwith.”

Meanwhile, the HOS has directed that public servants in the State whose names appeared in the Heckerbella list of those who have attained 60 years but who have been cleared by the Committee to verify dates of birth/employment of public officers in Delta State on issues of age (cleared list) should obtain letter of clearance from the secretary of the Committee or the permanent secretary, office of the HOS for payment of their salaries.