The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna State has assured civil servants recently removed from the state’s payroll that they have not been dismissed but are temporarily affected by an ongoing staff verification exercise.
Addressing a press conference on Friday in Kaduna, the NLC state chairman, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman explained that the omission of some workers from the July salary payment was not a deliberate attempt to terminate their appointments.
He noted that the exercise led by a government-constituted committee with participation from the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) aims to sanitise the payroll system, adding that it is part of a collaborative verification process agreed upon by labour unions and the state government.
According to him, savings from the verification would be channeled toward implementing outstanding salary adjustments.
“We are fully aware that many of our members did not receive their July salaries due to the verification. But we assure them, this is not a disengagement; it is different from past exercises that left workers in anguish. We are part of this process,” he said.
He advised affected workers to remain calm and channel their complaints through their MDAs or registered unions, adding that a fresh round of physical verification will soon be announced to address unresolved cases.
He explained that the union had already submitted the data of those affected and that all verified individuals would be paid their full entitlements, including arrears.
According to the NLC, those impacted include primary school teachers, healthcare workers, local government staff and pensioners, adding that some were unable to complete either the online or physical stages of verification.
Suleiman noted that NLC itself recommended the verification after Governor Uba Sani raised concerns over the state’s stagnant wage bill, despite ongoing retirements and deaths among civil servants.
He emphasised that the current process is more transparent and less cumbersome than previous exercises, and that no verified worker would be left unpaid.
