Civil servants protest over unpaid salaries, target Accountant-General’s office

 

Tension is mounting within the Cross River State civil service as workers yet to receive their salaries have threatened to picket the office of the state’s Accountant-General.

The affected civil servants, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Friday, said they have not been paid since December 2025, describing their situation as dire.

One of the affected employees, Mr. Moses Effiong, lamented that despite multiple complaints lodged at the Accountant-General’s office, no solution had been provided.

He disclosed that the workers had now concluded plans to protest and picket the office to demand their entitlements.

Corroborating his claim, Mrs. Dorcas Obi accused the Accountant-General of being dishonest about the cause of the delay.

She alleged that while the Accountant-General blames Permanent Secretaries for failing to submit nominal rolls, the reality on the ground suggests otherwise.

“The message we get from Permanent Secretaries is that nominal rolls have been submitted. It looks like the state government is handpicking people; in my ministry, some have been paid while others have not,” she stated.

Another civil servant, Clement Abang, described the situation as “painful,” noting that the delay has left many families hungry and unable to meet basic responsibilities.

Responding to the allegations, the Accountant-General of Cross River State, Dr. Glory Effiong, acknowledged that some workers were yet to receive their January salaries.

She, however, denied any wrongdoing, attributing the delay to the non-submission of updated and verified nominal rolls by certain Permanent Secretaries across ministries.

“We process salaries upon receipt of verified nominal rolls,” Dr. Effiong explained.

“This measure is necessary to address absenteeism and to ensure that only workers who report to duty receive salaries.”

She added that out of about 15,000 workers initially impacted by the verification exercise, at least 14,000 had since been paid.

Despite the clarification, the remaining unpaid employees insist they are being unfairly singled out and have resolved to proceed with their planned protest until their bank accounts are credited.