The Cross River State Government has defended its ongoing verification exercise for public school teachers, alleging that payroll fraud, ghost workers, and widespread absenteeism are among the major reasons behind delays in salary payments.
The position was made public by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Bassey Otu on Tactical Media Research and Engagement, Odu Modlin Philomena, in a statement titled "Government, Teacher's Salary and The Truth (Part 1)."
According to the governor's aide, Cross River has 1,114 public primary schools, 338 secondary schools, and 76 technical colleges spread across the state's 18 local government areas. She said each public school is officially expected to have between 30 and 40 teachers, but claimed that the number of teachers who actually report for duty is significantly lower, particularly in rural communities where supervision is less frequent.
She alleged that many teachers only attend school on days they personally consider convenient, leaving students with inadequate classroom instruction and worsening the quality of education across the state.
Addressing the controversy surrounding teachers' salaries, Philomena claimed that investigations conducted by the government uncovered what she described as "uncomfortable truths" within the education sector.
According to her, one of the biggest challenges is the existence of ghost workers on the state's payroll.
She alleged that fraudulent individuals have for years manipulated personnel records by creating fictitious employees and inserting their names into the payroll system.
Using a hypothetical illustration, she stated that while the government could be paying salaries for about 20,000 teachers, only approximately 12,000 may be genuine employees, with the remaining 8,000 existing only on paper.
She argued that those benefiting from the alleged payroll fraud are resisting ongoing reforms introduced by Governor Bassey Otu's administration to eliminate the practice.
The governor's aide also raised concerns over what she described as unauthorized outsourcing of teaching positions.
She alleged that some teachers employed by the state government currently reside abroad or in other parts of Nigeria pursuing different careers while remaining on the government payroll.
According to her, rather than resigning from service, such individuals allegedly hire unqualified people to teach in their place, a practice she said compromises educational standards and deprives students of qualified instructors.
Philomena said the government introduced a statewide staff verification exercise powered by technology to distinguish genuine workers from fraudulent beneficiaries of public funds.
She explained that the exercise requires teachers to present their National Identification Number (NIN) alongside other employment documents for verification.
According to her, resistance to the exercise by some individuals has slowed the verification process, consequently affecting the timely payment of salaries to genuine teachers.
She maintained that accountability should not be demanded only from elected and appointed political office holders but also from civil servants, contractors, and every individual entrusted with public responsibilities.
The governor's aide argued that some of those criticizing the government over salary issues are themselves part of the systemic problems the administration is attempting to address.
She concluded by describing Governor Otu's administration as one committed to sanitising the public service, insisting that resistance from corrupt interests was inevitable whenever reforms are introduced.
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