Concerned citizens and stakeholders in Taraba State have called on the 16 local government council chairmen and Local Government Education Secretaries to urgently address alleged cases of unpaid and withheld salaries owed to local government workers and teachers across the state.
The stakeholders, in an appeal to the relevant authorities, said salary-related challenges had persisted in several local government areas, particularly among council employees and teachers under various Local Government Education Authorities.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Taraba State Government to ensure regular payment of workers’ salaries amid prevailing economic challenges, the group expressed concern that some duly employed workers who had continued to perform their duties were still being denied their monthly entitlements.
According to the stakeholders, some affected workers were informed that their salaries had failed after being processed through the banking system.
They said workers were sometimes advised to wait until the following month, with assurances that the outstanding payments would be included in subsequent salary disbursements.
The stakeholders, however, demanded clarification on the fate of funds associated with failed salary transactions, particularly where such funds had been reversed or returned to the originating accounts.
They also called for details of the mechanisms in place to identify, reconcile and resolve failed salary transactions, as well as a clear process for recovering and paying outstanding salaries from previous months.
The group alleged that many workers did not receive their September salaries, with some of the affected payments reportedly classified as failed transactions.
It urged the relevant authorities to establish whether funds relating to the failed transactions had been returned to the appropriate local government accounts and, where confirmed, ensure that the affected workers were paid without further delay.
The stakeholders stressed that timely payment of salaries was essential to workers’ ability to meet basic needs, including food, school fees, healthcare, accommodation and family responsibilities.
They called for a transparent mechanism for reconciling and settling outstanding salaries arising from failed transactions, administrative challenges or other payment-related issues.
“Our appeal was not intended to accuse or condemn any individual or institution, but to promote transparency, accountability and timely resolution of salary-related challenges within the local government system,” the stakeholders said.
They urged the council chairmen, education secretaries and other relevant authorities to immediately reconcile all unpaid and failed salary transactions, identify affected workers and establish a definite timeline for settling verified outstanding claims.
The group also called for improved communication among payroll authorities, local government councils, education authorities, banks and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to prevent recurring salary payment failures.
The stakeholders expressed confidence that workers’ welfare remained an important consideration of the state administration, stressing that stronger reconciliation and accountability mechanisms were necessary to ensure that no worker lost a legitimate entitlement because of unresolved payment issues.
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