Cross River Government, NUT Clash Over Alleged 4,000 Ghost Workers

The Cross River State Government and the Nigeria Union of Teachers have disagreed over claims that about 4,000 ghost workers exist within the local government system.

The dispute surfaced during a meeting held in Calabar on Monday and convened by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Victor-Felix Idem. The meeting brought together labour leaders and education stakeholders to address concerns raised by teachers.

The gathering followed an earlier protest by the state NUT leadership, which accused the government of owing some teachers outstanding salaries and failing to implement promotions for eligible members.

Speaking at the meeting, Idem said the state government uncovered significant payroll irregularities through a verification exercise involving workers’ Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs). According to him, the exercise revealed thousands of questionable entries on the payroll, leading to concerns about the existence of ghost workers within the local government system.

However, the NUT disputed the allegation, maintaining that many genuine workers were being affected by payroll and salary-related issues. The union insisted that attention should be focused on resolving outstanding salary payments and implementing pending promotions rather than attributing the problems solely to ghost worker claims.

The disagreement highlights ongoing tensions between the government and labour unions over payroll management, workers’ welfare and accountability within the state’s local government system.

Authorities are expected to continue discussions with labour representatives as efforts intensify to verify workers’ records, address salary concerns and ensure transparency in the payroll process.