Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Accountant-General of Cross River State, Dr Glory Effiong has confirmed that as many as 1000 civil servants have not been paid their January 2026 salaries.
She attributed the delay to the failure of permanent secretaries to submit updated nominal rolls.
She disclosed that over 14,000 out of about 15,000 workers have received their salaries.
Effiong said the verification process was necessary to curb absenteeism and ensure that only active workers received pay, adding that salaries were processed once verified nominal rolls were submitted.
A notice at the Accountant-General’s Office has directed workers to channel salary enquiries through their respective permanent secretaries.
Despite the explanation, civil servants raised alarm that the figure is far more than what the AG mentioned.
They have alleged selective payment across ministries, departments and agencies.
Many affected workers claimed that more than 70 per cent of the state workforce, including senior officials and local government personnel, were yet to receive their pay as of mid-February, worsening economic hardship.
A few complained that they were yet to receive December salary.
A ministry director, Ikpi Adie, alleged that while some political appointees and selected staff had been paid, workers in key ministries such as Health, Agriculture and Education remained unpaid.
He said the delay had left many unable to meet basic needs, including school fees and household expenses.
Ikpi also faulted the directive requiring ministries to submit updated nominal rolls after partial payments had already been made, describing the situation as unprecedented and blaming inefficiencies in salary administration at the Accountant-General’s Office.
Another civil servant, Cecilia Offiong expressed frustration over the delay, noting that workers had not received salaries since December 2025.
She criticised the government’s public engagements, saying workers were struggling to survive while still being owed.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Gregory Olayi, confirmed that the union had received complaints and was engaging the government to resolve the matter.
He disputed claims that the delay was solely due to non-submission of nominal rolls, noting that some workers who complied were still unpaid.
Olayi said labour had given the state government a four-week ultimatum to address the issue, warning that further action would be taken if the concerns were not resolved.
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