, who were mistakenly labelled as ghost workers, have expressed frustration over the continued delay in receiving their April salaries.){kind=link}
A group of civil servants under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), who were mistakenly labelled as ghost workers, have expressed frustration over the continued delay in receiving their April salaries.
Around 50 staff members—out of the initial 230 affected—have not been paid, despite assurances from the FCT Civil Service Commission. These workers, drawn from various departments including the health sector, found out last month that their salaries had been halted without prior notice. The only explanation given was that they were suspected to be ghost workers.
The day after the salary stoppage, some affected groups, including the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), staged a warning strike in protest. This action prompted the release of salaries for many of the affected staff, but about 50 individuals are still waiting for their pay due to what authorities described as “technical hitches” in the payroll process.
Last week, the chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Chief Emeka Ezeh, assured the public that the outstanding salaries would be paid before Friday. However, by Wednesday, May 14, the unpaid workers said they had yet to receive any updates on the promised payments.
Those still affected—many of whom are healthcare workers and administrative staff—have appealed to the Commission to expedite the payment process, citing the financial strain the delay has caused.
Chief Ezeh had previously apologised for the error, attributing the salary freeze to a mistake that occurred during efforts to sanitize the FCTA payroll. He explained that the initiative, aimed at identifying ghost workers, mistakenly flagged genuine employees and led to their temporary removal from the system.
“We were trying to clean up the payroll, and in the process, some genuine staff were mistakenly affected. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience. The affected salaries will be released between now and Friday,” Chief Ezeh had said.