C’River street sweepers protest 4 months’ unpaid stipends, deface Ayade’s office
From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Old women engaged by the Cross River State Government to sweep public roads have protested the four months unpaid stipends by the state government.
The unpaid stipends range from N5,000 to N10,000 monthly and the protesting women blocked the entrance of the state governor’s office and littered the Leopard Town Road which leads to the governor’s office.
It took the efforts of security operatives for the women, aged between forty five and sixty, to cross to the Hope Waddell institute side of the road.
Leader of the protesting women, 60 year old Nkoyo Etim Effiong said they have not paid street sweepers in the state for four months now.
“We are here to let the governor know that we have not been paid for four months.
“In 2015, they refused to pay us for six months and now they want to go away our four months salaries.”
Madam Effiong said some of them were being paid N5,000 monthly while others were paid N10,000 monthly.
“Those of us who are sweepers are paid differently. There are those collect N5,000, N8,000 and N10,000 monthly. There those we call Wreckers and they collect N15,000 a month. We just want them to give us our money before they leave office,” she said.
Another elderly woman, Emana Cobham claimed that they take so much risk in the course of sweeping the streets”because by 4.30am, you must go to your duty post, sweep your portion which is always a Long stretch before day breaks”
No official of the state government addressed the protesters as at press time and the state governor was on seat as at the time of the protest.
