(The protesters. Photo by Vanguard News)
In response to 11 months of unpaid salary, recently hired local government employees in Cross River State peacefully protested in Calabar, pleading with Governor Bassey Otu to authorize their enrollment on the state payroll.
Despite the intense rain, the demonstrators, who came from several local government districts, marched through the state capital’s main thoroughfares to the governor’s office while holding signs that said, “We are suffering,” “Payroll us,” and “We need our salaries.”
Health workers in Cross River State have protested over unpaid salaries, with some alleging that several of their colleagues have died since the recruitment process began.
Speaking on behalf of the workers on Wednesday, one of them, Uchi Julius, said many of those employed in 2025 had since resumed duties but were yet to be paid despite having worked for nearly a year.
He said the prolonged delay had subjected many of them to severe hardship, with some now struggling to feed their families, and disclosed that some workers had died during a verification process initiated by the government.
Julius said most of the affected workers were now relying on borrowing from family and friends to survive.
He noted that massive employment had been one of the government’s campaign promises, and while the 2,000 health workers said to have been employed were present, many had still not been paid.
He stressed that they had not come to beg for money but to demand what they had rightfully worked for, adding that they were hungry, dying, and had already lost more than six colleagues who could never return.
Another protester, Happiness Augustine, said she was employed in 2025 and had gone a full year in the office without receiving any salary.
She appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to show mercy and ensure they were paid, stressing that they had been diligent in carrying out their duties.
Augustine said the delay had left many workers in distress and called on the governor to intervene regardless of whatever administrative issues were responsible for the delay in the payroll process.
Responding, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, acknowledged the workers’ concerns and assured them that the government was finalising the process needed to resolve the matter.
He explained that following an earlier protest, the state government had set up a panel of inquiry, which had since submitted its report, alongside a white paper recommending the way forward.
He said their concerns had been reported to the governor after their last protest, leading to the setting up of the panel, which had now submitted its report, with the process currently at the implementation stage.
He appealed to the workers to remain patient, assuring them that the government would act soon, and pledged that within two weeks, the situation would be resolved in their favour, noting that after almost a year of waiting, two weeks was not too long to wait.