Primary school teachers in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State have been protesting for the past few days due to unpaid salaries. The teachers, who have been carrying placards with various inscriptions, have been marching through major streets and have ended up at the council secretariat. The protest is primarily over the non-payment of their salaries for September 2025, January, and February 2026. According to the protesting teachers, they have been owed their salaries for the past six months, with some teachers receiving short payments or being debited as soon as they were credited.
The situation has been described as pitiful by the protesting teachers, who claim that some of their colleagues were paid due to their relationship with highly placed persons. The teachers have also expressed frustration over the excuses given by the council for the non-payment of their salaries. The situation has reached a point where some teachers are considering not resuming next term with their pupils.
The Cross River State Government has blamed the teachers for their predicament, alleging that most of the teachers who were not paid were not always at their duty posts. However, the Yala council chairman's press secretary has attributed the non-payment of the salaries to a system glitch, stating that several teachers received way above their salaries in September 2025 and have refused to come forward to correct the errors.
The situation is likely to escalate if a solution is not found soon, with the protesting teachers threatening not to resume next term with their pupils.
The Cross River State Government's handling of the teachers' salary issue raises serious questions about accountability and fairness. The fact that some teachers were paid due to their relationship with highly placed persons is a clear indication of the politicization of the payment process. The government must take immediate action to address this issue and ensure that all teachers are paid their rightful salaries without any discrimination.
