OVER one thousand civil servants on Thursday shut down activities at the Imo State Government House in Owerri while protesting over their unpaid salaries.
The civil servants who arrived at the Government House in Owerri as early as 8am, stopped vehicles from going in and out of the premises, causing panic at the Government House as security men manning the gate battled in vain to disperse the protesting civil servants.
Carrying their letters of appointments and postings, the civil servants said that they were at the Government House to prove to the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, that they were not ghost workers.
The governor had said that those who were yet to receive their salaries up to date were ghost workers. One of the protesting civil servants who simply identified his name as Caleb told journalists that the statement of the governor was “discouraging” to them.
The protesting workers said that they would not vacate the entrance gate of the Government House until they are paid.
Another civil servant who didn’t want his name in print said: “We will resume 7am here every day going forward until we are paid. I am a secondary school teacher and I have not been paid in the last 12 months. This is the 13th month. Since this governor assumed office, I have only received one month’s salary and that was January 2020. What kind of wickedness is this? What kind of leaders do we have in this country?”
