Hundreds of newly employed local government workers in Cross River State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Calabar, demanding the payment of 11 months’ salary arrears and immediate inclusion on the state government’s payroll.
The protesters, drawn from various local government areas across the state, marched through major streets of the capital despite heavy rainfall before converging on the Governor’s Office.
They carried placards bearing messages such as “We are suffering,” “Payroll us,” and “We need our salaries,” as they appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to intervene in their plight.
Speaking on behalf of the workers, the protest leader, Uchi Julius, lamented that many of those recruited in 2025 had continued to discharge their duties without receiving a single salary.
According to him, the prolonged delay has plunged many workers into severe financial hardship, with some reportedly losing their lives during the government’s verification exercise.
“The delay has subjected many of us to untold hardship. We are struggling to feed our families, while some of our colleagues have died during the verification process initiated by the government,” Julius said.
He added that many workers now survive on loans obtained from relatives and friends, stressing that they were only demanding payment for services already rendered.
“One of the administration’s campaign promises was massive employment. Today, the 2,000 health workers employed by the government are here, yet many of us have worked for nearly a year without pay. We are not begging for charity; we are asking for the salaries we have earned.
“We are hungry. We are dying. We have already lost more than six colleagues, and they can never return,” he said.
Another protester, Happiness Augustine, appealed directly to Governor Otu to expedite their enrolment on the payroll, saying she had worked for almost a year without receiving any remuneration.
“I was employed in 2025, and since then I have not received any salary. It is almost one year in service without pay. We are pleading with Governor Bassey Otu to have mercy on us because we have remained committed to our duties,” she said.
Augustine said the delay had left many workers in desperate conditions, insisting that administrative bottlenecks should not prevent employees from receiving their legitimate earnings.
“We are on our knees begging the governor to pay us. We have families to cater for, yet we have continued to report for duty without salaries,” she added.
She also recounted that one of their colleagues died in a road accident while travelling for a screening exercise organised by the state government following an earlier protest.
“After our previous protest, a panel was set up and we were invited for screening. Unfortunately, one of our colleagues died in an accident while travelling for the exercise.
“We are still waiting for the governor to address our concerns. We are appealing to him to help us,” Augustine said.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Enoh, acknowledged their grievances and assured them that the government was concluding the necessary processes to resolve the matter.
Enoh disclosed that the panel of inquiry established after an earlier protest had completed its assignment and submitted its report, while a white paper outlining the government’s next course of action had also been prepared.
“When you came here previously, I conveyed your concerns to the governor and a panel of inquiry was constituted.
“That panel has completed its work and submitted its report. We are now at the implementation stage,” he said.
The SSG appealed to the workers to remain calm, expressing optimism that the issue would soon be resolved.
“I assure you that within two weeks, all of you will have reasons to smile. If you have waited for almost one year, another two weeks will not be too much.
“Before you return here again, you will see what the government is going to do in your favour,” Enoh assured.