By Frank Ulom
The Cross River State Government has cancelled the controversial 2024/2025 Local Government recruitment exercise, citing widespread irregularities, including alleged job racketeering, commercialisation of employment slots and lack of requisite government approvals.
The government, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, said the decision followed the submission and consideration of the report of a panel constituted to investigate the recruitment exercise.
According to the government, the panel found that the recruitment conducted by the defunct Local Government Commission was “fundamentally flawed”, alleging that it lacked executive approval from the Governor and was characterised by “high scale and wide spread job racketeering”, commercialisation of employment slots, institutional complicity, ineptitude and breaches of public service ethics.
The panel consequently recommended that the exercise be invalidated and cancelled, except for 83 Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) personnel initially employed by the Cross River State Civil Service Commission and subsequently redesignated into the Local Government Service Commission.
The government said only 821 personnel duly approved by the Governor, including the 83 CROSIEC personnel, would be recognised as legitimate employees from the recruitment exercise.
“All other persons who entered the payroll through unauthorised or illegal recruitment processes are hereby phased out,” the statement said.
Fresh recruitment for 4,000
In what could provide a new opportunity for those affected by the cancellation, the state government approved the recruitment of 4,000 personnel through a fresh and transparent process.
The government said the new recruitment would deploy digital platforms and modern procedures to objectively determine staffing requirements and ensure that recruitment was conducted in line with established rules.
It, therefore, encouraged persons affected by the cancellation who possess the required qualifications and meet the relevant conditions to reapply through the new recruitment exercise.
The government also directed the Attorney-General of the state and relevant law-enforcement agencies to immediately commence investigations into the circumstances surrounding the recruitment exercise.
Persons found culpable are to be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Government promises compensation, payroll sanitisation
The state government said legitimate employees of the Local Government Service Commission who were lawfully recruited with the requisite government approval would continue in service and receive their salaries as and when due.
It further directed that persons removed from the payroll as a consequence of the nullification of the unauthorised recruitment exercise would be paid compensatory benefits.
The government said measures would also be taken to carry out a comprehensive “unbundling and sanitisation” of the state’s payroll.
While expressing sympathy with citizens who may have fallen victim to what it described as a criminal enterprise, the government said it could not assume responsibility for appointments that were never authorised, approved or issued through a lawful recruitment process.
“To do otherwise would amount to legitimising fraud, compromising due process and undermining the integrity of the public service,” the statement said.
The government maintained that its decision was guided by existing laws and principles governing public-sector recruitment, stressing that it was aimed at promoting transparency, fairness, accountability and due process.
It appealed to affected members of the public to remain calm and take advantage of the fresh recruitment opportunity.
The state government reiterated its commitment to building what it described as a professional, transparent, efficient and people-centred public service.
