The workers who are security guards and cleaners whose monthly salaries are between N25,000 and N40,000, also told SaharaReporters that they were 24 outsourced casual workers who had been working with the ministry since 2009 with a promise that they would be integrated into the mainstream of the ministry but that had not been done.
Workers at the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs deployed to Cross River State have raised the alarm over their terrible conditions as they lamented the non-payment of their salaries up to 26 months – two years and two months.
The workers who are security guards and cleaners whose monthly salaries are between N25,000 and N40,000, also told SaharaReporters that they were 24 outsourced casual workers who had been working with the ministry since 2009 with a promise that they would be integrated into the mainstream of the ministry but that had not been done.
According to some of the workers, some of them could not endure the hardship and difficulties they have been going through due to their poor working conditions and non-payment of salaries, hence, they left.
They said that their condition became worse since the current State Coordinator, Mr David Otom, started engaging the services of some men to take up their responsibilities because he paid the new people less than what the ministry approved as their salary.
The workers added that the coordinator barred them from coming to the office, and instead directed them to go to Abuja and asked for their unpaid salaries.
One of the workers who spoke to SaharaReporters under anonymity said, “The fact remains that we have been with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs from its inception; precisely since September 2009.
“Why we endured to stay this long is because of the promise that we will be integrated or absorbed into the mainstream in the long run, instead the reverse became the case.
“For instance, we were all 24 outsourced staff (casual staff). Some could not endure this hardship and left in December. But we kept faith with the ministry believing that providence will one day smile on our faces. Unfortunately, since the coming of the current State Coordinator, Mr David Otom, to Cross River State, our salary was no longer a priority as his interest was to make money out of our stipends.
“This is the reason for which the salary they owe us now is up to 26 months - two years and two months.
“The state coordinator, Mr David Otom, unilaterally decided to engage some boys to take up our responsibilities, which he pays less from what the ministry approved as our salary and bars us from coming to the office, instead, he directed us to go to Abuja and ask for a backlog of our salary.”
The worker added that they wrote to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry on December 7, 2022 and the Head of Administration, Mr Emmanuel Etim, told them that he (Etim) was around when the Permanent Secretary signed a letter for upward payment of the salaries but that since December 27, 2022 when the payment was supposed to take effect according to the letter, they had not received any information about it.
As at December 7, 2022 when they wrote the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, the letter showed that the total amount owed to a supervisor of security guards, one security guard, head cleaner and one cleaner - four workers for 17 months was N2,125,000.
The State Coordinator, Mr Otom could not be reached and efforts to get the comments of the Head of Administration, Mr Etim failed as he did not answer several calls made to his phone number nor respond to a text message sent to him.