Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Hundreds of newly employed local government workers in Cross River State staged a peaceful protest in Calabar on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, demanding the payment of 11 months of unpaid salaries and immediate enrolment on the state government's payroll. The protesters, drawn from local government areas across the state, defied a heavy downpour to march through major streets of the state capital to the Governor's Office, brandishing placards with inscriptions such as "We are suffering," "Payroll us," and "We need our salaries". The demonstration represents the latest in a series of protests over salary arrears that have plagued the state's local government workforce.
Speaking on behalf of the workers, protest leader Uchi Julius said many of those employed in 2025 had reported for duty and worked diligently for nearly a year without receiving any pay, a delay he said had pushed some colleagues to their deaths. "We are hungry. We are dying. We have lost more than six colleagues. They can never return," Julius declared. He noted that the majority of the workers now depend on loans from family members and friends to survive. Julius also pointed to the irony of the situation, stating: "One of the campaign promises was massive employment. Today, the 2,000 health workers said to have been employed are here, yet many of us have not been paid". He insisted that the workers were not begging for charity but demanding payment for services already rendered. "We didn't come here to beg for money; we came to ask for what we have worked for," he said.
Among the protesters was Happiness Augustine, who said she had rendered a full year of service without receiving a single salary. "I was employed in 2025. Up till now, I have not been paid. It is one year in my office, and I have not received any salary. We are begging Governor Bassey Otu to have mercy on us and pay us because we have been diligent in our duties," she said. Augustine disclosed that a colleague died in a road accident while travelling to a government-organised screening exercise held after an earlier protest. "We came for a protest before, and a panel was set up. During the screening process, one of our colleagues had an accident on his way and died," she recounted. She added that the delay had left many workers in distress and that they were pleading with the governor to intervene regardless of any administrative issues delaying the payroll process.
The workers' grievances are not new. In a written appeal addressed to the governor, the employees detailed their plight, stating: "For over nine months now, many of us who were employed through the Local Government Service Commission have been reporting to our duty posts faithfully without being placed on the payroll. Despite our commitment to serve the state diligently, we have not received salaries to sustain ourselves and our families". The letter noted that some employees had abandoned small private businesses or relocated from distant communities to take up the government appointments, only to face financial hardship. "Among us are parents whose children have been unable to return to school. Feeding our families and fulfilling basic responsibilities have become extremely difficult," the workers stated. The workers stressed that the protest was not an act of confrontation but a humble cry for help from loyal citizens who believe in the governor's leadership.
This is not the first time Cross River LG workers have taken to the streets over unpaid wages. In March 2026, staff of the Cross River State Unified Local Government Service Commission staged a similar protest over nine months of unpaid salaries. At that time, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, assured the workers that the government was already addressing the issue and that a final meeting with the governor was scheduled. However, the problem has persisted, with the arrears now extending to 11 months for some workers.
The issue of unpaid salaries in Cross River State extends beyond local government workers. In July 2026, workers of the Obudu Ranch Resort staged a protest over five months of unpaid salary arrears, an action that prompted the state government to clear the outstanding wages. In February 2026, civil servants in the state demanded payment of January salaries, with allegations that more than 70 percent of workers, including local government staff, were yet to be paid. Teachers in Yala Local Government Area have also protested over three months of unpaid salaries.
When contacted, the Cross River State Police Command confirmed that the protest was peaceful and that no arrests were made. A police source told reporters that officers were deployed to monitor the demonstration and ensure it did not escalate into violence. The workers eventually dispersed after the SSG's address, though many expressed scepticism about the government's timeline. One protester, who declined to be named, told journalists: "We have heard promises before. We will wait for the two weeks, but if nothing happens, we will be back".
The recurring protests highlight a systemic crisis in Cross River State's public service administration, where hundreds of workers have been employed but not placed on the payroll, leaving them to work without pay for months on end. The delays have been attributed to administrative hitches, verification processes, and the need to eliminate ghost workers. In June 2026, the state government announced that it had uncovered over 2,000 suspected ghost workers on its payroll. While the government insists that only genuinely employed workers will be paid, the prolonged delays have created severe hardship for those who have been waiting for nearly a year.
As of Wednesday evening, the workers remained without their salaries, but the SSG's assurance offered a glimmer of hope. The question now is whether the government will meet its two-week deadline or whether the workers will be forced to return to the streets once again. For the hundreds of local government workers who have endured months of unpaid labour, the promise of a smile in two weeks is both a lifeline and a test of the government's commitment to the welfare of its employees. The coming days will determine whether the Cross River State Government can finally resolve a crisis that has exposed the fragility of the social contract between the state and its workers.
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