Nigeria has removed more than 20,000 non-existent workers from the government payroll following an audit, leading to savings of 2.29bn naira (£8.3m) from its monthly wage bill, the finance ministry has said.
Corruption and mismanagement have long stunted development in Africa’s biggest economy and top oil producer, and are now exacerbating the impact of a sharp fall in global crude prices.
The audit used biometric data and a bank verification number (BVN) to identify holders of bank accounts into which salaries were being paid.
