Cross River Government to Investigate 213% Workforce Increase
The Cross River Government has announced its intention to investigate the staggering 213% rise in the state’s workforce over an eight-year period, skyrocketing from approximately 18,000 to 56,358 employees. Dr. Innocent Eteng, the state Head of Service, revealed this during a press conference in Calabar, highlighting Governor Bassey Otu’s concerns regarding the escalating financial burden associated with the burgeoning payroll.
Dr. Eteng stressed the imperative of scrutinizing the composition of the workforce, describing it as “currently bloated by several infractions” and attributing it to mounting challenges in funding essential projects. With a breakdown indicating 14,328 staff in the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), 2,812 in the Primary Health Care Development Agency, and 22,526 pensioners in the State Civil Service, Dr. Eteng emphasized the need for a strategic cleanup of the payroll system.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to rectify discrepancies, including a strategic clean-up of the state payroll driven by the office of the Head of Service and the Accountant General. Governor Otu issued a directive for permanent secretaries to submit their nominal rolls for reconciliation, but Dr. Eteng lamented that only nine out of the 32 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) had complied with this directive so far.
In line with the governor’s directive to streamline the wage bill, Dr. Eteng’s office issued a directive to the 31 MDAs to submit their nominal rolls for reconciliation. Only workers in the compliant MDAs will receive their salaries for March, while the rest will not be paid until compliance is achieved.
Dr. Eteng reassured that the government has paid all salaries up until February and has even paid all recognized 2,860 traditional rulers in the state for March. Efforts to clear the backlog of gratuities and ensure timely payment of pensioners have also commenced.
He emphasized the importance of compliance with the Nominal Roll directive, urging civil servants to hold their permanent secretaries responsible for non-payment of their salaries.
