- Vows to sanitize payroll system
- Seek DSS partnership on staff audit
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – The Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu has described as dubious the current figures being floated as constituting the workforce in the State civil service, vowing to thoroughly sanitize the government’s payroll system going forward.
Governor Otu, who hinted that available reports made him believe that over 40 percent of the staff have retired from government Service, said it is shocking to suddenly discover the nominal roll spike instead of the decreased numbers officially presented to him on assumption of duty.
Accordingly, he said the State Government will engage the Department of State Services (DSS) to audit personnel in its payroll system towards producing a transparent and holistic nominal roll for the State and Local governments.
Speaking when the Organised Labour leadership visited him in Calabar, the State capital, the Governor said the planned audit is meant sanitize and correct all forms of observable irregularities in the staff payroll system across board.
Expressing shock at the unfortunate development, Governor Otu said; “When I assumed office, I was informed that so many persons had retired, but when I now looked at the payroll, I saw even more staff than last month. I was wondering if so many have retired as recorded, why we should now have such a humongous number in the payroll with an attendant huge wage bill?”
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, quoted the Governor as saying; “We have resolved that everybody should go to the Department of State Services for verification and screening so that if your paper has some issues, from there you can go to court.
“That will be the best for us because the exercise will ensure that biometrics and other necessary screening requirements are conducted to check all forms of irregularities and abnormalities in line with relevant civil service rules and labour laws.
“In the end, we will know the actual staff strength of Cross River. Personnel audit has been a little bit of a tricky area. So, we need to put our heads together to produce a holistic payroll system, and I strongly solicit your maximum cooperation.”
Addressing the issue of employment by his administration, Governor Otu said; “We are currently looking at the gap analysis which is why we had to suspend all forms of employment so that in the end government will only employ based on needs because with our scarce resources, we must spend judiciously.”
In their presentation to the Governor, the Organised Labour, through the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Olayi Gregory, said Cross River stands to derive immense benefits with reduced cost of governance and curbing of wastages in government structures and activities.
Comrade Olayi said such positive moves will free resources that the government could channel into useful and productive ventures for socio-economic growth and development in the State.
Their 21-point position paper also conveyed the Labour Movement request that the Governor consider boosting the morale of teachers in the State by extending their promotions to Grade Level 17 in line with what obtains in the Federal Service.
Furthermore, Labour Leadership pleaded with the State government to fashion out measures that would bridge the existing gap between Directors and Permanent Secretaries by approving Grade Level 17 for Directors as obtainable in other states of the Federation.
