By Ushang Ewa and Utang Bassey
Staff of the Cross River State Waste Management Agency (CRWMA), Tuesday, in Calabar protested the non payment of their salaries for 21 months.
The staff, bearing placards with several messages written on them at about 10:30 AM began chanting solidarity and union songs at the main entrance of the governor’s office while the governor was on an inspection tour of facilities at the garment factory, Calapharm and Thai Africa rice city project along the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Bypass.
Inscribed on the placards were messages like “Ayade is a listening governor” “Eraye is a tyrant and wicked” among others.
One of the protesting staff who spoke with CrossRiverWatch wondered why the Environment Commissioner, Engineer Mike Eraye will not prevail on the governor, Senator Ben Ayade to pay them the same time other state workers are being paid having served in the Agency before.
However, Eraye CrrossRiverWatch learnt, later took the protesting staff to meet the Deputy Governor and told one of our correspondents in a brief chat that the past administration owed 11 months salaries before leaving.
Further findings also revealed that the agency was created as an afterthought by the Sen Liyel Imoke led administration with sources in the Environment Ministry saying some of the agency’s roles clash with those of the 5 Urban Development Authorities.
Also CrossRiverWatch gathered the agency is currently incapacitated as the waste evacuation and management equipment are dilapidated and need an overhaul.
This is even as sources in Government House say imprest to some MDA’s have not been paid which has greatly affected the performance of capital intensive ministries like that of Health and Environment.
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