Protesters besiege Akwa Ibom government house over non-payment of gratuity
Hundreds of children and relations of primary school teachers have besieged the Akwa Ibom Government House in Uyo, the state capital, to protest the non-payment of gratuity to their dead parents and relatives.
They also condemned the state government alleged “insensitivity to the plight of the families of dead civil servants.’’
Under the aegis of Association of Next-of-Kin of Late Primary School Teachers (ANKLPST), the protesters barricaded the gate to the Government House for several hours and urged Governor Udom Emmanuel to be compassionate to their plight.
Speaking with journalists, David Essien, leader of the group lamented that the affected families had written several letters and negotiations all to no avail.
According to him, the dead teachers had served the state government for upward of 35 years “before retiring without their pensions and gratuities being paid.
“Some of the dead teachers served and retired as far back as 1991, yet nothing to show for services they rendered for the state before they died,” he said.
In the same vein, Nsima Fidelis Akpan said his mother “ served for 35 years as primary school teacher at Government Primary School, Mbiabam Ibiono in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area and died about three months to her retirement.’’
“Up till now, the family has not received anything in form of gratuity or pension as part of her reward for serving the State up to that period,” he lamented.
“Each time we come on protest like this, the government would keep deceiving us to come today or come tomorrow, we are tired of these kind of unfulfilled promises because some of those who are supposed to benefit from this facility are sick with no money to take them to hospital, some who were in schools have dropped out because there is no money to fund their education,’’ he added.
In his reaction, the state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Etim Ukpong, expressed disappointment over the alleged “insensitive to the plight of the dead workers by the state government in spite of several intervention by labour union.’’
Ukpong, who confirmed that the issue of next-of-kin of primary schools teachers had since been forwarded to the Governor for approval about two weeks to the protest, said the NLC was yet to receive response from government.
Ukpong, who also doubles as the chairman of the State branch of the Nigerian Union Teachers (NUT), frowned at a situation whereby government could not identify its priorities.
He said that the “state government had recently received some money from the Paris Club and was advised by the labour movement to use part of the money to clear the backlog of workers’ pensions and other indebtedness but the government refused to oblige”.
“I cannot stop any aggrieved person or group of persons from protesting because we have done our best and the government does not seem to appreciate our effort to mediate, the government is even trying to rubbish labour leaders; they are not even communicating with us,’’ he added.
At the time of filing this report, it was gathered that leaders of the association were still meeting with the Head of Service (HoS), Ekereobong Akpan.
A source at the meeting confirmed that “the issue had long been presented to the head of service’’ adding that there has not been any positive outcome.