The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Peter Odey, has attributed the delay in the payment of January 2024 salaries for civil servants to an ongoing comprehensive staff audit in the state’s civil service.
Governor Bassey Otu had revealed in September 2023, during a media parley to mark his first 100 days in office, that despite a large number of retirements from the service, there was still an “enormous wage bill.” Following this, the newly appointed Head of Service, Innocent Eteng, was tasked with conducting a major staff strength review to align the state civil service with global best practices.
As part of this effort, the state government initiated a comprehensive staff verification exercise, requiring civil servants to personally fill out forms. However, this has led to a delay in the payment of January 2024 salaries, prompting some workers to protest at the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Anthony Owan-Enoh.
Addressing the protests, Deputy Governor Odey assured that the state government has made significant progress in the staff audit and will soon make its findings public. He also clarified that despite the delay, over 80% of workers in the state have already received their January 2024 salaries.
Odey emphasized that the delay was due to the meticulous effort to remove duplicate entries and reconcile cleared names with the nominal roll. He urged the labor force to view this exercise as a necessary step towards a more transparent and accountable system, essential for the state’s progress under the People First Agenda.
Acknowledging the challenging circumstances, Odey assured that those whose salaries have been genuinely delayed will be paid in the near future, emphasizing the government’s commitment to addressing the situation.
