The Cross River State Government and the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have disagreed over claims of about 4,000 ghost workers in the local government payroll system.
The dispute arose during a meeting in Calabar on Monday, convened by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Victor-Felix Idem, with labour leaders and education stakeholders in attendance.
The meeting followed an earlier protest by the NUT, during which the union alleged that several members were owed salaries for multiple months and raised concerns over delayed or unimplemented promotions.
Idem said the state government discovered widespread irregularities during a payroll verification exercise that involved the use of Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) submitted by workers.
He stated that over 2,000 teachers and other local government staff were flagged after presenting invalid or questionable BVNs.
According to him, the breakdown included about 1,200 questionable BVNs in local government councils, 526 in primary health centres, 643 among political appointees, and 2,000 within the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
He further alleged that some BVNs were fake or linked to multiple identities, raising concerns about payroll fraud and the existence of ghost workers.
The commissioner maintained that the verification exercise was aimed at cleaning up the payroll system and ensuring that only legitimate employees are paid.
He also rejected claims that workers were receiving half salaries, insisting that local government councils were directly responsible for salary payments.
Idem challenged the NUT to provide documentary evidence, including payslips, to support claims of partial salary payments.
In response, Cross River NUT Chairman, Mr Gregory Olayi, defended the union’s position, saying teachers were facing unpaid salaries and inconsistencies in promotion implementation.
Olayi said many teachers had not been paid since September despite complying with verification requirements, including submission of BVN details.
He also alleged that some members experienced salary reductions following promotion adjustments.
However, he welcomed the payroll verification exercise, describing it as necessary to eliminate ghost workers and protect public funds.
Olayi called for improved communication between government and labour unions to avoid misunderstandings and repeated disputes, adding that the union would present records to verify genuinely affected members.
Also speaking, the Auditor-General for Local Governments, Mr Bassey Eko, said a review of payroll implementation showed the need to confirm approved promotions and assess their financial impact.
He explained that SUBEB was directed to submit comprehensive promotion records, warning that failure to comply led to the suspension of salary payments for some affected staff.
Eko said the verification process was intended to strengthen accountability and prevent payroll fraud in the state.