About 300 forest guards employed by the Cross River State Forestry Commission in 2024 have appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to intervene in the delay in their salary payments.
They said they have not received any remuneration since their appointments took effect on July 1, 2024.
Similarly, some personnel recruited by the State Technical Education Board also complained of not receiving salaries for about nine months.
Some of the forest guards, who spoke to the Guardian, stated that they had completed all recruitment processes, including documentation and screening. Their appointment letters, dated July 19, 2024, confirmed their engagement as forest guards, effective from July 1, 2024.
One of them, who preferred anonymity, said a subsequent directive ordered fresh screening to redeploy candidates with higher academic qualifications to the state’s Home Security unit, noting that only 11 out of the 300 qualified.
“Since then, we have been told that payment will commence soon, but nothing has changed. We have continued to work without pay,” he said.
Concerned about the hardship being faced by the guards, the Forestry Commission has written to the governor seeking his intervention.
In a letter dated May 19, 2025, with reference number FC/6/Vol.4/49 and signed by the Director of Administration, Mrs. Bassey Onoyom Bassey, on behalf of the Commission Chairman, the situation was described as “painful and unjust.”
When contacted, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. George Oben-Etche, confirmed that the matter had been brought to the attention of the governor and that the Commission was awaiting further directive. Efforts to reach the Head of Service, Mr Orok Okon, were unsuccessful.
Reacting to the development, constitutional lawyer and former presidential aide, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, faulted the prolonged delay, describing it as a violation of labour rights.
He said: “Workers are entitled to wages for services rendered. Withholding salaries for this length of time undermines the dignity of labour and contravenes both national and international labour conventions.”
He urged the state government to resolve the issue without further delay.
In other news, the Nasarawa State Government has partnered with Silvex International, a leading rice processing company, to boost rice production in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule announced this partnership during a visit to the Jangwa/Agwatashi farm in Awe and Keana local government areas.
According to Governor Sule, the partnership will see Silvex International purchasing rice directly from the state’s farms and packaging it under the Nasarawa Agro-Commodity Company (NASACCO) brand. The rice, which will be marketed as “NASACCO Gold,” is expected to increase the visibility and marketability of the state’s rice products.
Governor Sule expressed gratitude to Silvex International for the partnership, which he said was a fulfilment of his administration’s efforts to attract private investment into the state’s agricultural sector. He noted that the partnership is also expected to lead to increased rice production in the state, with plans to expand the farm’s hectarage from 3,300 hectares to over 8,000 hectares in the near future.
