Katsina Govt Orders Staff and Salary Audit at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University

BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The Katsina State Government has set up a committee to scrutinise the salary payments and employment records of staff of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, in a move to establish the accuracy of the institution’s personnel records and strengthen accountability in public spending.

The committee was constituted with the approval of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, following an official directive issued by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government on October 16, 2026.

The exercise will focus on verifying the employment status of university staff and examining salary-related matters, although the government has yet to disclose whether the decision followed the discovery of any irregularities.

The committee brings together officials responsible for the state’s financial management, auditing and statistical administration, with the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning appointed as chairman.

Other members include the State Auditor-General, the Statistician-General and the Deputy Accountant-General, while the Office of the Secretary to the State Government will provide secretarial support.

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The composition of the committee places officials with oversight responsibilities over public finances and government records at the centre of the verification exercise.

Members were invited to attend the committee’s inauguration on Monday, October 19, at 2:30 p.m. at the Office of the Secretary to the State Government within the State Secretariat Complex in Katsina. The Secretary to the State Government was scheduled to conduct the inauguration.

The government is expected to use the committee’s findings to obtain a clearer picture of the university’s staffing records and salary administration, potentially providing a basis for decisions on personnel management and the use of public funds.

However, the official letter announcing the committee did not specify how long the exercise would last, the methods to be used in verifying staff records or whether the government had identified any discrepancies requiring investigation.

The move comes as the state government undertakes a review of personnel and salary records at the university, with the outcome expected to provide further information on the accuracy of its employment documentation and payroll administration.

For now, the exercise remains a verification assignment, and no findings of wrongdoing have been announced.