By Ike Uchechukwu

CALABAR — The Cross River State Government says it has identified more than 2,000 questionable payroll records, including invalid Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) and duplicate entries, during an ongoing payroll verification exercise.

The findings were recorded during the verification of staff records across local government payroll systems, with a significant number of the flagged entries found within the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Victor-Felix Idem, disclosed this during an interactive session with labour leaders and journalists in Calabar following concerns raised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over salary-related issues.

According to Idem, the exercise is aimed at strengthening the integrity of the payroll system and ensuring that salary payments are made only to properly verified workers.

He said the verification process uncovered cases where the same BVN appeared multiple times in payroll records, prompting further scrutiny.

“We have discovered over 2,000 invalid and questionable records in the payroll system. In some cases, a single BVN appeared in multiple payroll entries. The objective is to ensure accountability and protect public funds while guaranteeing that legitimate workers receive their salaries,” he said.

The commissioner noted that a substantial number of the records under review were linked to SUBEB payroll data.

Addressing allegations of half-salary payments to teachers, Idem said the Ministry of Local Government Affairs is responsible for uploading payroll information, while local government councils handle salary disbursements.

“This ministry does not pay salaries. We only upload the payroll. Local government councils are responsible for salary payments. Anyone with concerns regarding salary payments should provide relevant details and evidence to enable proper investigation,” he said.

He assured workers affected by the verification exercise that records would be reviewed upon submission of valid BVNs and other required documentation.

Idem also disclosed that labour leaders had been granted access to relevant verification records to help identify and resolve any discrepancies.

Speaking at the meeting, NUT Cross River State Chairman, Comrade Greg Olayi, acknowledged the government’s efforts to sanitise the payroll system but said some teachers who had complied with the verification process were still experiencing salary-related challenges.

He also raised concerns over delays in promotions and salary adjustments.

Similarly, the President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Cross River State, Comrade Leko Otabe, supported the verification exercise and called for sustained engagement between government and labour unions to address emerging issues.

The Auditor-General for Local Government, Elder Bassey Abam Eko, explained that implementation of some promotions had been temporarily suspended to allow for reconciliation of records and assessment of the financial implications.