The embattled chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, has assured staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, that their withheld salaries will be paid before Friday, attributing the delay to a human error encountered during an effort to sanitise the payroll system.
Ezeh offered this reassurance on Tuesday following a peaceful protest staged at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja by members of the FCTA Joint Union Action Committee led by its president, Rifkatu Lortyer.
The demonstrators, visibly distressed by the sudden stoppage of their salaries, demanded immediate explanations and resolution. Brandishing placards, they questioned the rationale behind halting salary payments without prior notice and called for the prompt disbursement of funds to all affected staff.
“We are not ghosts. We work every day. Why should our salaries be stopped without warning?”; one protesting worker said.
Beyond salary concerns, the union also demanded the release of overdue promotions, stating that staff had been denied advancement for over two years, despite meeting eligibility requirements.
In response, Ezeh emerged from his office to address the aggrieved staff directly. Acknowledging shortcomings in the payroll audit process, he explained that the recent measures were part of efforts to identify and eliminate ghost workers, but inadvertently led to the exclusion of legitimate personnel. He offered an apology for the disruption.
“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,”; Ezeh stated.
On the matter of delayed promotions, the chairman assured staff that the commission is in the final stages of concluding the process and that the deserving promotions would soon be implemented.
His remarks were received with cautious optimism by union leaders, who called on the commission to prioritise staff welfare and prevent future occurrences.
“We appreciate the chairman for addressing us directly, but we will be watching closely to ensure that the promises made are fulfilled,”; Lortyer said.
Tension remains as staff await the fulfilment of the commission’s pledges before the close of the week.
