FC Taraba players protest unpaid salaries, relocate to Govt House

The upheavals surrounding the alleged refusal of the Taraba
State government to pay the salaries, match bonus and other allowances of the FC Taraba players yesterday took a different dimension as the players moved their belongings to the Government House.

The players, who arrived at the Government House at about 2.p.m yesterday, vowed that no amount of persuasion from any quarter would pacify them from their right.

As at the time of filing in this report, the entrance to the Government
House had been taken over by the players, as they were not allowed entering by the security operatives.

The continued refusal of the government to pay the players their 11 month salaries and other entitlements in spite of their massive contribution to the round leather game in the state, as noticed by The Guardian is the major reason behind the ongoing protest.

It would be recalled that during one of the protest, soldiers numbering over 11 were allegedly drafted to brutalise, harass and dehumanise the players right in the premises of the government house.

Speaking with The Guardian, the team captain, Kelvin Njoku, could not fathom why the state government “has continue to deny us our rights by refusing to pay us our salaries for 11 months and match bonus.”

The players, he said have unanimously agreed to vacate their homes and relocate to “this place (government house) pending when they are ready to settle us.”

“As you can see, we are all here with our mattresses. And we are very much ready for them. If they like, let them go and bring a truck load of soldiers, we are not going to leave this place.”