Over 3,000 teachers in Ebonyi State staged a massive protest in Abakaliki on Sunday, demanding the payment of three months’ salary and the implementation of the minimum wage. The teachers, drawn from all 13 local government areas of the state, accused council chairmen of neglecting their welfare, which they claimed led to the deaths of three colleagues on Christmas Day.
Governor Francis Nwifuru had earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the council chairmen to pay the teachers their salaries before Christmas. However, the directive was reportedly ignored for nearly a week.
The teachers barricaded the entrance to the Akanu-Ibiam International Conference Centre and parts of Onwe Road, disrupting traffic for over three hours. They carried placards with messages such as “We are dying of hunger and starvation,” “Pay us our three months’ salaries,” and “UBEB teachers are suffering due to non-payment of wages.”
One of the protesters, Mrs. Udu Nnenna, lamented that they had not received salaries, bonuses, minimum wage adjustments, or arrears for three months. She expressed frustration over repeated screening exercises without payment and demanded immediate action or permission to stay home peacefully.
Another teacher, speaking anonymously, criticized the disparity in treatment between UBEB and SEB teachers, noting that while SEB teachers had received their salaries, minimum wage, and Christmas bonuses, UBEB teachers were left unpaid.
The Commissioner for Education, Paul Awo Nwabosi, who met with the protesters, reportedly threatened to “deal with” their leader instead of addressing their concerns. He ordered the arrest of some protest leaders, who were forcibly taken away in a Hilux van. When approached for comments, the commissioner declined to speak and quickly left the scene.
Attempts to reach the chairman of the Ebonyi State chapter of ALGON, Mr. Chinedu Uburu, for his reaction were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls as of the time of filing this report.
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