"You Were Never Employed" — Cross River Govt Tells LG Salary Protesters

CALABAR – The Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, has declared that individuals who recently protested over alleged 11 months of unpaid local government salaries were victims of an employment syndicate that fraudulently promised them government jobs.

Speaking on behalf of the Cross River State Government, Barr. Ekpo explained that investigations by a judicial panel established to examine the controversial recruitment exercise revealed that many of those demanding salaries were never lawfully employed into the Unified Local Government Service.

According to him, the panel uncovered an organised employment racket that allegedly extorted money from unsuspecting job seekers with false promises of securing local government appointments.

He said the findings showed that several appointment letters and employment records associated with the recruitment were irregular and did not follow approved government procedures, making the affected persons victims of fraud rather than recognised public servants.

Barr. Ekpo noted that the state government sympathises with those who may have been deceived by the syndicate but stressed that government cannot place individuals who were not legally recruited on the payroll.

He disclosed that Governor Bassey Otu constituted the judicial panel following earlier complaints over the recruitment exercise, with the mandate to determine the authenticity of the appointments and recommend appropriate action.

The Commission Chairman assured that the recommendations of the panel would be fully implemented and that only persons who passed through the lawful recruitment process would be recognised as employees and enrolled for salary payments.

He further reiterated the state government's commitment to sanitising the local government service, eliminating irregular recruitment practices and ensuring that public funds are paid only to duly employed workers.

Barr. Ekpo also warned those responsible for operating the alleged employment syndicate that they would face the full weight of the law, while urging anyone who may have fallen victim to cooperate with the relevant authorities as investigations continue.

His remarks come a day after a group of protesters took to the streets of Calabar demanding payment of salaries they claimed had remained unpaid for about 11 months. The protesters had appealed to Governor Bassey Otu for intervention, insisting they had been reporting to work despite not being placed on the government payroll.

The latest clarification by the Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission has now shifted attention to the alleged employment scam, with the government maintaining that the matter is a criminal case of fraudulent recruitment rather than the non-payment of legitimate workers' salaries.

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