Local government workers drawn from the 18 council areas of Cross River State on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of their salaries for about 11 months.
The workers, who said they were newly recruited by the Cross River State Unified Local Government Service Commission, gathered to appeal to the state government for intervention. They stated that they had not received salaries since April 2025, despite reporting to work regularly.
Carrying placards, the protesters also complained that they had not been enrolled on the state payroll, even though they had consistently resumed duty. They warned that the prolonged delay in salary payments had severely affected their ability to meet basic needs, including feeding their families and paying school fees.
Speaking during the protest, one of the workers, Mr. Paul Agbor, said the demonstration was intended to draw the attention of the authorities to their plight.
“We are out here to appeal to the government to look into the situation of newly recruited local government workers. We are not on the payroll, yet we have been going to work consistently. That is why we are here to table our issue before the rightful authority,” Agbor said.
In a written appeal addressed to the governor, the workers expressed appreciation to the administration for offering them employment but stressed that the continued non-payment of salaries had subjected them to severe hardship.
“Despite our commitment to serve the state diligently, we have not received salaries to sustain ourselves and our families,” the letter stated.
Some of the workers explained that they had abandoned small businesses or relocated from distant communities to take up the jobs, only to face serious financial difficulties.
“Among us are parents whose children have been unable to return to school. Feeding our families and fulfilling basic responsibilities have become extremely difficult,” they added.
Responding to the protest, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, assured the workers that the administration was already addressing the issue.
“What you are doing is your right, and nobody will say they are against you. We have held several meetings on local government employment and payroll, and a final meeting with the governor will be held this Thursday,” Owan-Enoh said.
He explained that part of the delay stemmed from efforts to verify genuine employees and resolve administrative issues within the commission.
“The governor wants to ensure that only those genuinely employed are placed on the payroll. You were employed by the government, and everything will be followed duly and procedurally,” he added.
