A prominent youth coalition in Taraba State has strongly denounced what it calls sponsored protests designed to undermine the ongoing civil service reforms initiated by Governor Agbu Kefas. The group has instead thrown its full weight behind the administration's staff verification exercise, revealing startling figures of alleged fraud within the state payroll.
Coordination Denounces Sponsored Protests, Backs Reforms
The Coalition of Taraba Youths for Reform and Governance (CTYRG) publicly distanced itself from any orchestrated demonstrations aimed at discrediting the government's reform agenda. Speaking to journalists in Jalingo on Thursday, the coalition's leader, Manri Joshua, called on the state government to remain steadfast and focused on implementing the changes.
CTYRG passed a vote of confidence in the Kefas-led administration, describing the civil service cleanup as a timely and necessary step to restore transparency, efficiency, and sanity to the public sector. The group warned against any attempts to blackmail or intimidate members of the Civil Service Verification Committee.
Shocking Figures: 6,528 Names Irregularly Added to Payroll
The coalition presented official records that uncovered a significant anomaly in the state's workforce. According to their findings, the number of civil servants in Taraba State ballooned from approximately 19,000 employees in June 2023 to about 25,000 by July 2025.
CTYRG alleged that a staggering 6,528 names were added to the state payroll during this period without proper executive approval. This discovery prompted Governor Agbu Kefas to order a comprehensive staff verification exercise in November 2024.
The results of the verification were revealing:
- Out of the 6,528 individuals slated for verification, only 3,183 persons appeared.
- 3,345 individuals failed to show up for the exercise.
- Even more damning, 1,049 of those who appeared could not be traced in the official payroll records of any Ministry, Department, or Agency (MDA).
Internal Sabotage and Fraudulent Appointments Exposed
The coalition emphasized that these findings pointed to deliberate internal sabotage rather than issues of genuine employment. Following the initial verification, a Biometric Verification Committee was constituted in 2025, chaired by the Permanent Secretary for General Services at the Government House.
Further investigations allegedly revealed that the 1,049 untraceable individuals were not on the official payroll system. It was discovered that they had obtained fraudulent appointment letters from unscrupulous civil servants operating within the system.
CTYRG stated that the ongoing cleanup exercise has already begun to yield positive results by restoring fiscal discipline. The freed-up resources, they noted, are now being channeled towards governance and development projects across Taraba State.
The group urged all civil servants with legitimate grievances to formally submit their documents to the verification committee or the Office of the Head of Service for proper review, instead of resorting to protests. This statement comes amid reports that a group identified as ghost workers had planned to stage a demonstration at the Government House.
