EFCC begins civil service verification in Delta State

By Egufe Yafugborhi & Ochuko Akuopha

ASABA — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced a comprehensive verification exercise in the Delta State civil service as part of efforts to review payroll and personnel records.

The exercise, which began in Asaba, was disclosed on Monday by the State Head of Service, Dr. Mininim Oseji, during a press briefing marking the 2026 Civil Service Week celebration.

Oseji said the operation forms part of a nationwide initiative by the anti-graft agency to scrutinise nominal rolls, payroll systems and other official records across several states.

She explained that EFCC officials had notified the state government before commencing the exercise and were assigned to different offices for screening, starting with the Office of the Head of Service.

“The anti-graft agency has legal backing to do what it is doing,” she said, adding that no complaints had been received so far.

Oseji also noted that she had been receiving regular updates from an officer assigned to accompany the EFCC team throughout the exercise.

Beyond the verification exercise, she urged civil servants to comply with the state’s revised dress code policy and called for continuous training of staff across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to support the ongoing digital transformation of the civil service.

She further said the process for the appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the state had remained transparent.

The EFCC verification comes amid an ongoing civil service audit by the Delta State Government aimed at cleaning up payroll records, eliminating ghost workers, and transitioning from manual to digital human resource management systems across MDAs.

The exercise also targets absentee staff, outdated nominal rolls, and cases of retirement-age violations within the state workforce.