From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
The Cross River State government has uncovered over 800 ghost workers in its civil service, following a recent personnel audit aimed at promoting transparency and efficiency in the public service.
The Cross River Local Government Service Commission (CR-LGSC) revealed that the ghost workers, who were still collecting salaries, were identified during a verification exercise conducted across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Chairman of the Commission, Darlington Bassey Eyo, said the exercise was intended to reduce the state’s bloated wage bill and ensure that only eligible staff remain on the payroll.
“The commission has been conducting a thorough audit of local government staff to identify ghost workers and maintain a transparent and efficient payroll system,” Eyo said.
“During the exercise, we discovered 800 ghost workers. Their names have now been removed from the payroll, yet they were still receiving salaries,” he added.
Eyo reiterated the Commission’s commitment to a unified local government service, where efficiency and high productivity thrive. He said harmonisation of the payroll would ensure timely payment of salaries to staff in their respective local government areas.
While lauding Governor Prince Bassey Otu for approving recruitment into the local government service, the Commission’s Chairman expressed concern over allegations that jobs were being sold.
He also directed all local government staff to obtain their Voter’s Cards from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in their respective local government areas.
