Road sweepers protest months of unpaid salary by Cross River government

Traffic gridlock at the Governor’s office area of Diamond Hill in Calabar on Tuesday April 25, was the signature of protest from hirelings engaged by Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA) to sweep roads in Calabar municipal and Calabar South Local Government council areas in the state.

The women in caravan barricaded and stormed the Governor’s office chanting solidarity and intimate songs brandishing leaves and demanding payment of their four and six months unpaid salaries seeing the administration is winding down on May 29.

They lamented that no government official has come out to address them having been there for hours in the protest that was substantially peaceful.

One of the sweepers could be heard saying she relies on the ten (N10,000). monthly stipend to feed and send her five children to school as well as pay house rent since she lost her husband. She said their supervisor who often threaten them with sack, said government have not released their money.

Recall that a similar protest was staged on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 to demand their entitlements from the Cross River state government. They were tear-gassed by men of the sting unit of the Nigerian Police Force to truncate the agitation.

Effort by newsmen to get comments from Mr. Mfon Bassey, the Commissioner for Environment as well as their supervisor, Eno Edem was naught as at the time of filing this report.

Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)