Local government workers in Cross River State staged a peaceful protest in Calabar on Wednesday, demanding payment of salaries owed for nearly a year.
The employees, hired in 2025, accused the state government of failing to place them on the payroll despite resuming duties.Braving heavy rain, the protesters marched to the Governor’s Office carrying placards with messages such as “We are suffering” and “We need our salaries.”
Speaking for the group, protest leader Uchi Julius said the delay had plunged many into hardship, with some workers relying on loans to survive.
He lamented that several colleagues had died during the government’s verification process.
“We didn’t come here to beg for money; we came to ask for what we have worked for. We are hungry. We are dying. We have lost more than six colleagues,” Julius declared.
Another worker, Happiness Augustine, said she had served for a year without pay. She appealed directly to Governor Bassey
