At least 50 employees of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) are protesting against the government decision following a staff audit conducted by the FCT authorities, leading to their non-payment by the the government.
The protesting staff urged the FCT Civil Service Commission to promptly disburse their April salaries, noting that they were being wrongly identified as ghost workers and removed from the payroll.
The affected individuals, including staff from essential departments such as healthcare, were part of a larger group of 230 civil servants excluded during a recent payroll audit meant to clean up the government’s payment system.
Following the discovery, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), along with allied unions, staged a brief warning strike, pushing the administration to act. This pressure led to the reinstatement of many affected staff members and the payment of their salaries.
However, about 50 workers are still waiting for their wages due to what officials described as technical hitches recorded in payroll.
The Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, apologized over the development, acknowledging the error, explaining that while attempting to sanitise the payroll, some legitimate employees were mistakenly flagged.
Ezeh assured that outstanding salaries would be paid between then and Friday, but despite this promise, the workers say no payments have been made as of Thursday, May 15, and no additional communication has been provided.
Frustrated by the delay, the unpaid staff are demanding swift intervention and warning that ongoing silence may heighten tensions among civil servants already facing financial difficulties.
As of the time of reporting, the Commission had not issued any new statements regarding the unpaid wages.
