Taraba Stakeholders Urge LG Chairmen to Address Unpaid Salaries

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 unpaid and withheld salaries owed to local government workers and teachers.

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

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

According to the group, some affected workers had reportedly been informed that their salaries failed after the transactions were processed through banking channels.

The stakeholders said workers were sometimes asked to wait until the following month, with assurances that outstanding salaries would be included in subsequent payments.

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 group also called for details of the mechanisms used to identify, reconcile and resolve failed salary transactions and recover outstanding payments from previous months.

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

They urged the relevant authorities to establish whether funds linked to the failed transactions had been returned to the appropriate local government accounts and, where confirmed, ensure the affected workers were paid without further delay.

The group stressed that salaries were essential for workers to meet basic household needs, including food, school fees, healthcare and accommodation.

They also called for a transparent mechanism to reconcile and settle outstanding salaries arising from failed payments, administrative issues 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,” the stakeholders said.

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

The stakeholders further called for confirmation of whether corresponding funds had been reversed or returned to the relevant local government accounts and for a clear process to settle verified outstanding claims.

They also urged authorities to provide affected workers with clear information on the status of their payments instead of repeatedly asking them to wait another month without a definite resolution.

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

They expressed confidence that workers’ welfare remained an important consideration of the state administration, stressing that stronger reconciliation and accountability mechanisms were needed to ensure workers did not lose legitimate entitlements because of unresolved payment failures.