The revelation, made during the inaugural Gombe State Health Summit, underscores ongoing reforms to enhance transparency and efficiency in public spending amid Nigeria’s economic challenges.

Speaking at the Gombe International Conference Centre, where Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, declared the summit open, Governor Yahaya detailed how the biometric attendance system, introduced as part of a 2019 state of emergency on health—exposed the fictitious employees. 

“These ghost workers were draining resources that should go toward saving lives,” Yahaya stated, crediting the digital verification process for weeding out the anomalies without disrupting legitimate staff. 

The purge, he added, has freed up funds to bolster frontline healthcare services, from primary centers to specialized facilities.

The announcement aligns with broader institutional overhauls, including the establishment of a Hospitals Management Board and the rollout of contributory health insurance schemes. 

In a parallel boost for morale, Yahaya approved the immediate implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), aligning state health workers’ pay with federal standards at a monthly cost of N250 million or N3 billion yearly. 

“This is an investment in our health heroes: doctors, nurses, midwives, and support staff,” the governor emphasized, urging them to reciprocate with heightened productivity.

Tinubu, in her keynote, lauded Yahaya’s “visionary reforms,” describing Gombe’s health sector as a national model after inheriting a landscape of dilapidated infrastructure, underfunding, and overstretched personnel in 2019. 

Coordinating Health Minister Professor Ali Pate, also present, echoed the praise, noting the summit’s role in fostering a “seamless healthcare ecosystem” through public-private partnerships.