The Cross River State government has revealed that it has identified 2,000 ghost pensioners on its payroll. This discovery, detailed in a statement from the Government House, has been a significant factor in the delays of paying accumulated gratuities from 2014 to 2024.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bassey Otu, announced on Friday that the fraudulent entries were uncovered by a committee formed by Governor Bassey Edet Otu. The committee’s findings have led to the removal of these ghost pensioners from both the State and Local Government Pensions Payrolls. The identities of those involved in the pension fraud have not yet been disclosed.
The audit and verification exercise is nearing completion, with the payment of outstanding gratuities scheduled to begin in August 2024. The committee, led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), has one week from its initial meeting to submit its final report to the government.
To address the backlog, Governor Otu has approved N10 billion for the payment of gratuities to retired civil and public servants. Additionally, the governor has sanctioned the creation of a new committee consisting of executives from state and local government pension unions.
This committee, also led by the SSG, is set to meet on Monday, July 29, 2024, to finalize the procedures for distributing the gratuities.
