Civil servants in Cross River State have threatened to stage a protest over alleged unpaid salaries, warning that the situation has left many struggling to meet basic needs.
The aggrieved workers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Calabar, said they plan to picket the office of the state’s Accountant-General after repeated complaints failed to yield results. According to them, many of the affected staff last received their salaries in December 2025, raising concerns about how workers and their families will cope.
They explained that the planned protest is intended to draw the attention of the state government and compel the authorities to address the delayed payments. Despite several visits and formal complaints to the Accountant-General’s office, they said, the matter remains unresolved, prompting the decision to picket.
One of the workers, Mr. Moses Effiong, said in an interview that numerous complaints lodged with the Accountant-General’s office had produced no response. He added that affected workers had concluded plans to protest by picketing the office over the alleged non-payment of salaries.
Also speaking, Mrs. Dorcas Obi, a state government employee, accused the Accountant-General’s office of lacking transparency despite multiple complaints by workers. She said the office had repeatedly shifted blame to permanent secretaries, claiming they had failed to submit nominal rolls for staff in their respective ministries.
“The Accountant-General keeps shifting the blame, saying that permanent secretaries have not submitted nominal rolls of workers in their ministries, but this is not true,” Obi said.
She explained that workers approached the permanent secretaries, who confirmed that the required nominal rolls had already been submitted.
Obi added that the situation appeared selective, noting that while some workers in her ministry had been paid, others were yet to receive their salaries.
Another civil servant, Clement Abang, said the development had plunged many workers and their families into hunger and hardship. He urged the state government to settle the outstanding salaries promptly to enable affected workers to meet their obligations.
Responding to the complaints in an earlier interview, the Accountant-General of the state, Dr. Glory Effiong, confirmed that some workers were yet to receive their January salaries. She, however, attributed the delay to permanent secretaries who had not submitted updated nominal rolls.
Effiong said that, of about 15,000 affected workers, no fewer than 14,000 had already been paid. According to her, salaries are processed only after verified nominal rolls are received.
“This measure is necessary to address absenteeism and to ensure that only workers who report to duty receive salaries,” she said.
