No fewer than 100 primary and secondary school teachers on the pay roll of the Rivers State Government on Friday staged a protest at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The teachers were protesting an alleged exclusion from the N100,000 Christmas bonus approved for civil servants by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The protesters claimed that other civil servants in the state have received theirs along with their December 2023 salaries, but that has not been the case with them.
The teachers want to know why they didn’t benefit from the bonus.
It would be recalled that Governkr Fubara approved the bonus for each civil servant for Yuletide.
The governor was applauded by both the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in the state.
Speaking to newsmen on Friday, one of the teachers simply identified as Oke said, “We were so happy when we heard that the governor approved a N100,000 Christmas bonus for all civil servants. So we assumed that the last Christmas was going to be very great for us.
“But as we speak today, this is January, a few of us as you can see have not received the Christmas bonus.
“On Monday, schools will be resuming. Most of us travelled and we have returned.
“We have exhausted all we have. So we are here this morning to register our complaints to our dear loving governor to help us talk to those who are holding our Christmas bonus.
“Our N100,000 Christmas bonus should be released because it will go a long way in cushioning the effect of the hardship especially in this January.”
Others who spoke accused their banks and the state Universal Basic Education Board of failing to address the matter.
An official of the government who addressed the protesting teachers commended them for their peaceful disposition and assured them that their complaints would be looked into.
