Again, CUDA Staff Block Calabar Street Over Salaries, Dispersed By Police

By CrossRiverWatch admin

Arguments continued this morning over whether staff of the Calabar Urban Development Agency CUDA has been paid their outstanding salaries or not.

It will be recalled that the staff made burn fires and blocked the Airport road in Calabar demanding to be paid their outstanding eight months salaries last week.

The DG of the Agency came to meet the workers along with the Police Area Commander to appeal to them to call off the protest promising that the outstanding salaries will be paid yesterday, Wednesday.

A statement was later released same day promising the workers they will get their payment last Monday.

While the DG of CUDA was not available for comments this morning, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, told CrossRiverWatch that the payment of the outstanding salaries of the workers commenced yesterday and is continuing.

Mr. Ita also added that there are several contract staff who also work for CUDA who are not on the government payroll and may be the ones who staged the return protest today.

Another source in CUDA who did not want to be named said: “They has been a lot of mess in the way recruitment was done into CUDA and it is making payment of the salaries very cumbersome. So many ghost workers, and it is difficult to identify who are the real CUDA workers that are being owed but the process of verification and payment is ongoing.” The source said.

But the workers who were on the street today, denied and insisted that they have not received any payment.

They were however dispersed by the Police who, quickly arrived again to calm what was initially a tensed situation.