Newly recruited local government workers in Cross River State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Calabar, demanding the payment of 11 months’ outstanding salaries and immediate enrolment on the state payroll.

The protesters, drawn from various local government areas across the state, marched through major streets despite heavy rainfall before converging on the Governor’s Office, carrying placards bearing 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 those employed in 2025 had faithfully resumed duty but had remained unpaid for nearly a year, leaving many in severe financial hardship.

“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,” Julius said.

He lamented that many workers now survive on loans from relatives and friends, stressing that they were only demanding payment for work already done.

“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. 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. They can never return,” he added.

One of the affected workers, Happiness Augustine, said she had worked for almost a year without receiving any salary despite remaining committed to her duties.

“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 appealed to the governor to intervene regardless of any administrative bottlenecks delaying the payroll process.

“We are on our knees begging him to pay us. We have families to take care of, and we have continued working without salaries,” she said.

She also revealed that one of the newly employed workers died in a road accident while travelling for the government-organised screening exercise that followed 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. We are still waiting for the governor to say something. We are pleading with him to help us,” Augustine added.

Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Enoh, acknowledged their grievances and assured them that the state government was in the final stages of resolving the issue.

He explained that following an earlier protest, Governor Bassey Otu constituted a panel of inquiry, which had since submitted its report, while a white paper outlining the next steps had already been prepared.

“When you came here last time, I reported your concerns to the governor and a panel of inquiry was set up. That panel has submitted its report, and we are now at the implementation stage,” Enoh said.

He appealed for patience, assuring the workers that the government would soon conclude the process.

“I assure you that within two weeks, all of you will smile. If you have waited for almost a year, two weeks is not too long. Before you come back here again, you will see what the government is going to do in your favour,” the SSG assured.