Non-payment of LG workers’ salaries sparks confusion in Taraba

Concerned citizens and stakeholders in Taraba State have appealed to the 16 local government council chairmen and Local Government Education Secretaries to urgently address alleged cases of non-payment and withholding of salaries owed to local government workers and teachers across the state.

In an appeal addressed to the relevant authorities, the stakeholders said salary-related challenges had continued to occur almost monthly in several local government councils, particularly among local government staff and teachers under various Local Government Education Authorities.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Taraba State Government to ensure prompt payment of workers’ salaries amid prevailing economic challenges, the stakeholders expressed concern that some duly employed workers who had continued to perform their duties were still being left without their monthly entitlements.

They said some affected workers had reportedly been informed that their salaries failed after the transactions were processed through banking channels.

“Workers are sometimes asked to wait until the following month, with assurances that their outstanding salaries would be included in subsequent payments,” the stakeholders said.

They, however, sought clarification on what happens to funds from failed salary transactions, particularly where such funds are reversed or returned to the originating accounts.

The stakeholders also called for details of the mechanisms available for identifying, reconciling and resolving failed salary transactions, as well as the process for recovering and paying outstanding salaries from previous months.

They alleged that many workers did not receive their September salaries, with some of the affected payments reportedly classified as failed transactions.

The group 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 salaries were essential to workers’ ability to provide food, pay school fees, access healthcare, meet accommodation costs and support their families.

“The non-payment of even one month’s salary could have serious consequences for households,” they said.

They also called for a transparent mechanism, similar to those used in other public-sector institutions, to reconcile and settle outstanding salaries arising from failed payments, administrative challenges or other circumstances.

“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,” they explained.

The stakeholders urged the local government chairmen, education secretaries and other relevant authorities to immediately reconcile all unpaid and failed salary transactions and identify workers affected by such failures, including those who reportedly did not receive their September salaries.

They further called for confirmation of whether the corresponding funds had been reversed or returned to the relevant local government accounts and the establishment of a clear process for settling all verified outstanding claims.

They also urged the authorities to provide affected workers with clear information on the status of their payments and ensure that workers were not repeatedly asked to wait another month without a definite resolution.

The stakeholders called for stronger communication among payroll authorities, local government councils, education authorities, banks and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to prevent recurring salary-payment problems.

They expressed confidence that workers’ welfare remained an important consideration of the state administration, stressing that effective reconciliation and accountability mechanisms at the local government level were necessary to ensure that no worker lost a legitimate entitlement because of an unresolved payment failure.