Etim Effiong
Workers and pensioners of the College of Education, Ekiadolor, on Monday protested the non-payment of their salaries and allowances for 11 months.
The workers, dressed in all black outfits and displaying anti-government placards and slogans, remonstrated through the streets of Benin to the Government House, but without government officials on ground to address them.
The workers, however, vowed to continue with the protests on a daily basis until the government attended to their needs.
According to them, they are tired of being turned to beggars to meet their family responsibilities.
Leader of the protesters, who is also Chairman of the College of Education Academic Union, Comrade Fred Omonuwa, said they won’t be blackmailed on the altar of politics for demanding their rights.
He said, “For sometimes we have been having issues of 11 months unpaid salaries. We have tried to meet with the governor when the head of service came to speak with us to shield our sword.
“We thought that within two weeks our salaries would be paid but they never listened to us.
“Congress met and decided to come out in peaceful protest to demand our hard-earned salaries, including pension and gratuities.
“We spent a couple of hours at the Government House and nobody came out to address us. We believe that a labourer is worthy of his pay and we are going to continue on this path until our demands are met.”
Omonuwa also expressed disappointment with the state government for linking their protest to politics, adding that when government officials were at schools to plead with them not to protest, they were not being sponsored, but now it’s a blackmail.
But the state government, through the Commissioner for Education, Jimoh Ijegbai, said, “Since the inception of this government, we have been consistent in giving the school the monthly subvention up till May 2020.
“In the last two weeks, the government has released two months’ subvention to the workers to show good faith in spite of the fact that they were not working.
“We are surprised now about the protests, which the Edo State Government believes is politically motivated.
“They are sponsored by politicians hell-bent on derailing development in the state. This government will not be blackmailed by any group whatsoever.”