Cross River local government employees demonstrate over nearly year-long wage arrears

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Newly employed local government workers in Cross River State have staged a peaceful protest in Calabar over 11 months of unpaid salaries, urging Governor Bassey Otu to approve their enrolment on the state payroll.

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The protesters, drawn from various local government areas, marched through major streets of the state capital to the Governor’s Office despite a heavy rain, displaying placards with inscriptions, ‘We are suffering,’ ‘Payroll us,’ and ‘We need our salaries.’

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Speaking on Wednesday on behalf of the workers, one of the workers, Uchi Julius, said many of those employed in 2025 had resumed duties but had yet to receive salaries despite working for almost a year.

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He said, “The prolonged delay has really subjected many workers to severe hardship. Some of us are now struggling to feed our families. Some of us have died during the verification process initiated by the government.”

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Julius stated that majority of them are now depending on borrowing from families and friends to live.

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“One of the campaign promises was massive employment. Today, the 2,000 health workers said to have been employed are here, yet many of us have not been paid. We didn’t come here to beg for money; we came to ask for what we have worked for.

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“We are hungry. We are dying. We have lost more than six colleagues. They can never return,” Julius said.

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Another protester, Happiness Augustine, said, “I was employed in 2025. Up till now, I have not been paid. It is one year in my office and I have not received any salary. We are begging Governor Bassey Otu to have mercy on us and pay us because we have been diligent in our duties.”

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Augustine said the delay had left many workers in distress, adding that they wanted the governor to intervene irrespective of any administrative issues delaying the payroll process.

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Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, acknowledged their concerns and assured them that the government was finalising the process required to address the matter.

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According to him, following an earlier protest, the state government constituted a panel of inquiry, which had submitted its report, while a white paper recommending the next line of action had also been prepared.

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“When you came here last time, I reported your concerns to the governor and a panel of inquiry was set up. That panel has submitted its report and we are now at the implementation stage,” Enoh said.

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He appealed to the workers to remain patient, assuring them that the government would act soon.

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“I assure you that within two weeks, all of you will smile. If you have waited for almost a year, two weeks is not too long. You will see what the government is going to do in your favour,” the SSG said.

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