The Cross River State Government has denied owing local government workers 11 months’ salaries, insisting that individuals who protested in Calabar over alleged unpaid wages were never lawfully employed into the local government service but were victims of a recruitment scam.
The clarification followed yesterday’s protest in Calabar, where the demonstrators marched through major streets despite heavy rainfall, alleging they had worked for 11 months without being enrolled on the state payroll and calling on Governor Otu to approve their appointments and pay the outstanding salaries
The Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Nsa Ekpo, made the clarification in a statement issued on Thursday, a day after the protesters demanded their enrolment on the state payroll and payment of salaries they claimed had remained unpaid for 11 months.
Ekpo said investigations by the state government revealed that the protesters were issued fake employment letters by an organised syndicate that allegedly exploited job seekers seeking employment in the local government system.
According to him, the fraudulent scheme took advantage of a legitimate recruitment exercise approved for more than 700 positions in the Local Government Service by reproducing fake appointment letters and selling them to unsuspecting applicants without the approval or knowledge of the state government.
“The individuals involved in the protest are unfortunately victims of an organised employment syndicate that exploited the desperation of job seekers by offering them fake letters of employment in exchange for huge sums of money,” Ekpo said.
He maintained that the state government was not indebted to any duly employed local government worker, stressing that all legitimately recruited staff captured on the government payroll had continued to receive their salaries as and when due.
Ekpo disclosed that Governor Bassey Otu had earlier constituted an investigative panel to probe the alleged recruitment fraud and that the committee had completed its assignment and submitted its report.
According to him, the panel established that there was no executive approval for the appointments under which the protesters claimed employment.
“The panel’s findings confirmed that there was no executive approval for the purported recruitments under which the protesters claim employment,” he stated.
The commission chairman said the government could not accept responsibility for appointments that did not follow the lawful recruitment process, warning that doing so would legitimise criminal acts and undermine the integrity of the public service.
While expressing sympathy for those affected by the alleged scam, Ekpo assured that the state government was reviewing the panel’s recommendations and would announce its decision within two weeks.
He said the decision would be guided by the law, fairness and the overall interest of the people of Cross River State.
Ekpo also pledged that those behind the alleged recruitment fraud would be brought to justice, while lawful steps would be taken to protect innocent victims and restore confidence in public institutions.
He appealed to the affected persons to remain calm and allow the government to conclude the ongoing process, insisting that the administration would not be pressured into taking actions that violated due process or the public interest.