Cross River Payroll Crises, Blame The Governor

2500 civil servants delisted from the payroll of Cross River state by governor Ayade have been protesting at the government house in Calabar for days now. They have not been paid for varying periods of time between 10 to 18 months. Verification exercises have been stalled severally because of administrative shenanigans.

Some of these delisted civil servants earn between 30k - 100k. I need to add that some of these delisted civil servants include, science teachers across secondary schools in Cross River as well as Magistrates who are supposed to be dispensing justice in the courts, among others. Note that the state is led by two professors. The only State to be so blessed.

These workers have now taken to the streets. For three straight days, they have remained adamant in protest. The governor is ignoring them and would rather arrange a courtesy call by those politicians who call themselves Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, to come and hail him for running a welfarist government on a day when workers were standing under the sun asking for their due wages.

Rather than pay these ones who still manage to go to work, the governor still amassed more idle hands with the announcement of more appointees on Tuesday and Wednesday. They are in their thousands and this is not an exaggeration. Governor Ayade prides himself in having the highest appointees in the country.

He continues to pile the payroll with thousands of political idle jobbers in the name of appointees, a duplicitous appointment racket that has seen briefcase appointees who do not go to work, have no office to resume, no table, no job description, and no contribution whatsoever to our State continue to get their pay, while those with definable roles in the civil service are stranded in the sun.

The governor should reduce the number of these idle jobbers and reinstate the protesting workers and pay them their dues immediately.

If not, the protesting workers should not relent. It's a new height in Cross River state. If Margaret Ekpo, the famous activist who led several protests in Nigeria is from our state, then we have not always been docile in Cross Cross River as we are told. Let them stay on with their placards. If they are tired, let them go home and refuel, take a new date and return. Let them cooperate with the forthcoming nationwide protests and join forces with like groups to enlarge their agitation until their dues are paid.

Thank you and God bless Cross River.