The Cross River State Government has disclosed that its ongoing payroll audit has uncovered more than 2,000 questionable records, prompting further verification exercises amid complaints by teachers and local government workers over salary disruptions.
The exercise, coordinated by the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, is aimed at identifying irregular entries, including invalid Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), duplicate names, and suspected ghost workers.
According to the government, a significant proportion of the flagged records originated from the payroll of the State Universal Basic Education Board, where thousands of entries belonging to teachers are still undergoing verification.
Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Victor-Felix Idem, briefed labour leaders and journalists in Calabar following protests by members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over salary-related concerns.
He explained that the audit was intended to sanitise the payroll system and ensure that only genuine workers receive salaries.
Responding to allegations of half-salary payments, Idem clarified that the ministry is not directly responsible for salary disbursement.
“This ministry does not pay salaries. We only upload the payroll.
“The local government councils are responsible for salary payments. Anybody alleging half-salary payments should provide names, payslips and evidence so that we can investigate the matter,” he said.
The commissioner added that workers whose salaries were suspended because of BVN discrepancies would be restored once they submit verified BVNs obtained directly from their banks.
He further disclosed that labour leaders had been granted access to the verification data to assist in identifying errors and resolving outstanding issues.
Speaking on behalf of workers, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, Comrade Greg Olayi, said the union intervened after members reported salary disruptions following the commencement of the exercise.
President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Comrade Leko Otabe, supported the audit but urged the government to maintain active collaboration with labour unions.
“Workers’ representatives are often best placed to verify staff records and help resolve payroll disputes before they escalate,” Otabe said.
Addressing concerns over delayed promotions, Auditor-General for Local Government, Elder Bassey Abam Eko, explained that some promotions were temporarily suspendedto enable the reconciliation of records and prevent abuse.
The state government maintained that the verification exercise is designed to strengthen payroll integrity and ensure that salary payments are directed only to legitimate employees.
