Bayelsa teachers protest non-payment of salaries

Vehicular and commercial activities were grounded on Monday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, following the peaceful protest by teachers and non-academic staff of primary schools in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area over non-payment of their seven months’ salary arrears since December and allege diversion of allocation.

The workers took to the streets to express their grievances over what they described as a deliberate attempt by the council boss to witch-hunt those perceived to have worked for the opposition party during the last governorship elections in the state.

The workers barricaded the road to the popular Swali market and the UBA banks where salaries were paid other workers whose appointments were before 2008, and disrupted free flow of traffic for hours.

While lamenting their plight, some of the protesters said life had become “so unbearable as they can no longer feed their families due to their unpaid salaries.” Some said they have been employed since 2008 and nobody complained but why now? The protesters stated that government has been paying salaries for the past four years not until the last general elections.

According to a teacher, Mr. Abraham Young, of St. Barnabas School, from Oweikorogha community, stated that the sudden action by the council chairman to stop their payment and accuse them of being illegally employed was wrong, noting that after several verifications, the next thing is to call them fake workers.

He stated that despite their immense contribution to the educational sector of the state, they were still taken for granted, adding that how they fend with their families after a long wait for salaries and nothing positive has happened.

Another affected worker, Mr. Apollo Simon Gidi, from the post primary school board, said for eight years now he has been working without any challenge, but was sad when he heard the announcement on the radio about the payment of teachers when the chairman said those employed as at 2008 will have their appointments terminated.

“The termination of our appointment was not on any basic, we were employed by the state government through the normal procedure of employment, why will they come now and call us fake workers, I must take them to industrial court” he said.

Addressing the crowd, the council chairman, Hon. Joshua Maciver, faulted the accusation of witch hunting by those affected, noting that the appointment procedures for those employed from 2008 till date was wrong and illegal.

He submitted that his predecessors employed workers without the approval by government, adding that those affected were supposed to be arrested and prosecuted rather than protesting on the streets and disturbing the peace of others because they defrauded the state for years.

Maciver appealed to others workers who were been verified by the officers of the council to be patient with the government, saying efforts were on to pay their salaries up to three months after the one month that were being paid them.