Emerging report on Monday, indicates that the Teachers of Demonstration Primary and Secondary Schools, in Rivers State, alongside the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation, staged a protest at the venue of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Conference, at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, in Port Harcourt, to embarrass the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, over alleged outstanding salaries.
The Teachers were reportedly demanding for the payment of their 5 years salaries.
Some of the aggrieved Teachers regretted that the State Government has ignored their plights, despite a series of protests over the issue.
The appealed to Lawyers to prevail on the State Government to obey the Court of Appeal judgement, which was in their favour.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Chairman of the Rivers Civil Society Organisation, Enefa Georgewill, questioned the State Government’s refusal to pay the salaries of the Teachers for about 5 years.
He stated: “The Office of the Rivers State Governor is a creation of Law, and if a Court of competent jurisdiction has given an order, for goodness sake everybody must obey.
“You said that they are collecting School fees, therefore, they should pay themselves, but the question is; are they the Vice Chancellor that is controlling the fund?
“We do not have issues with the Governor, but we are saying that the Governor should do well to obey the subsisting court order.
“That is not too much for the Teachers to ask for.”
Responding, the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State, Samuel Nwanosike, who addressed the protesters, pleaded with them to leave the arena, and advised that a meeting be held with the Commissioner of Police in the State, with the aim of resolving the issue.
He, however, denied that the State Government is owing the Teachers, describing the claims by the Teachers as a plot to tarnish the image of the State Government in the presence of the Lawyers.
He said: “Governor Nyesom Wike is on record to have paid the salaries of even teachers he did not employ.”
The protesters nonetheless, later proceeded to the State Police Command Headquarters, where the Commissioner of Police, CP Friday Eboka, promised to invite Stakeholders on a later date for another meeting.
More news later…