The Cross River State Government has declared that individuals who protested in Calabar on Wednesday over alleged non-payment of salaries were victims of an employment syndicate that allegedly defrauded unsuspecting job seekers with fake appointment letters, insisting that no lawfully recruited local government employee is owed salaries by the state.
The Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, made the clarification in a statement issued on Thursday in response to the protest by persons who claimed they had worked for 11 months without being enrolled on the state payroll.
Ekpo maintained that every employee lawfully recruited into the Local Government Service and duly captured on the government’s payroll receives salaries as and when due, stressing that the state government is not indebted to any legitimate local government worker.
“The Cross River State Government is not indebted to any duly employed staff of the Local Government Service. Every legitimate employee who was lawfully recruited into the service and duly captured on the government payroll is receiving his or her salary as and when due,” he stated.
According to the Commission Chairman, the protesters were among those allegedly deceived by an organised employment racket that exploited job seekers by issuing forged appointment letters without the knowledge or approval of the state government.
He explained that although approval had been granted for the recruitment of more than 700 personnel into the Local Government Service, some unscrupulous individuals allegedly reproduced official employment documents and sold them to unsuspecting applicants, creating the false impression that they had secured genuine government appointments.
Ekpo disclosed that the investigative panel constituted by Governor Bassey Edet Otu to probe the alleged recruitment fraud had concluded its assignment and submitted its report, which established that there was no executive approval for the purported recruitments 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 said.
While sympathising with those affected, the Commission Chairman maintained that the government could not legitimise appointments that did not emanate from the lawful recruitment process, warning that doing so would undermine the integrity of the state’s public service and reward fraudulent practices.
He said the government was reviewing the panel’s recommendations and would announce its decisions within the next two weeks, assuring that all persons found culpable in the alleged employment scam would be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Ekpo appealed to the affected individuals to remain calm while the review process is concluded, stressing that the administration would continue to uphold due process, fairness and the rule of law in resolving the matter.
The protesters had earlier marched through major streets of Calabar to the Governor’s Office, demanding enrolment on the state payroll and payment of salaries they claimed had remained outstanding for 11 months.
By Kingsley Agim
