CALABAR – The Cross River State Government has denied claims that it is owing salaries to newly employed local government workers, describing those who protested in Calabar on Wednesday as victims of an employment syndicate who were fraudulently issued fake appointment letters NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
The Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, stated this in a press statement issued on Thursday in response to the protest by individuals who claimed they had worked for 11 months without being enrolled on the state payroll.
Ekpo said every lawfully recruited employee of the Local Government Service who had been duly captured on the government’s payroll was receiving salaries as and when due, insisting that the state was 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 of the Local Government Service Commission who was lawfully recruited into service and duly captured on the government payroll is receiving his or her salary as and when due,” he said.
He alleged that those who staged the protest were victims of an organised employment racket that preyed on desperate job seekers by selling fake appointment letters without the knowledge or approval of the state government.
According to him, after the Local Government Service Commission received approval to recruit more than 700 personnel, unscrupulous individuals allegedly reproduced employment documents and sold them to unsuspecting applicants, creating the false impression that they had secured genuine government jobs.
Ekpo said a panel constituted by Governor Bassey Otu to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged fraudulent recruitment had completed its assignment and submitted its report.
He added that the panel established that there was no executive approval for the 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 stated.
The commission chairman sympathised with those affected but maintained that the government could not accept responsibility for recruitments that did not originate from the lawful recruitment process.
He said recognising such recruitment would legitimise fraud and undermine the integrity of the state’s public service.
Ekpo disclosed that the government was studying the panel’s recommendations and would implement decisions arising from the report within the next two weeks.
He added that the decisions would be guided by law, fairness and the overriding interest of the people of Cross River State.
“The administration is determined to ensure that everyone found culpable in the employment scam is held accountable, while every lawful step necessary to protect innocent citizens and strengthen confidence in public institutions is pursued,” he said.
He appealed to the affected persons to remain calm while the government concluded its review of the panel’s report, stressing that the administration would not be pressured into taking actions that would compromise due process.
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 been outstanding for 11 months.
