At least 50 civil servants under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) are demanding the immediate payment of their April salaries after being erroneously delisted and labeled as “ghost workers.”
The affected workers, including personnel from the medical department and other essential units, were among 230 staff members whose names were mistakenly omitted from the payroll during an exercise aimed at sanitizing the civil service system.
Following the error, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) and other affiliated unions staged a warning strike, prompting the FCTA to reinstate many of the affected workers and release their April salaries. However, around 50 civil servants are still awaiting payment due to what officials have described as “technical hitches” in the payroll system.
Chief Emeka Ezeh, Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, apologized for the mistake last week, acknowledging that the cleanup process inadvertently affected some legitimate staff members. He promised that the outstanding salaries would be paid by Friday.
Despite this assurance, the affected workers say they have yet to receive their payments as of Wednesday, May 14. They are calling on the Commission to expedite the process, warning that prolonged silence could increase frustration among financially strained staff.
At the time of reporting, the FCT Civil Service Commission had not provided any further updates on the situation.
