File: Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River
Newly employed local government workers in Cross River State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Calabar, the state capital, over 11 months of unpaid salaries, urging Governor Bassey Otu to approve their enrolment on the state payroll.
The protesters, drawn from various local government areas, marched through major streets of the state capital to the Governor’s Office despite a downpour, carrying placards with inscriptions such as, “We are suffering,” “Payroll us,” and “We need our salaries.”
Speaking on behalf of the workers, the protest leader, Uchi Julius, said many of those employed in 2025 had resumed duty but had yet to receive salaries despite working for almost a year.
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.”
