Teachers of the Rivers State University Demonstration School have again called on the state government to reinstate and pay off their seven years salary arrears. Recall that former governor Nyesom Wike has ordered that in February 2016 the salary of the teachers be removed from the payroll of the university. In an interview with our reporter, one of the teachers who does not want his name to be mentioned said that they lost three of their staff recently due to hardship and life has not been easy for the rest of them. He said that some of them have been evicted from their homes and their children out of school.
The teachers however appeal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to use his first 100 days in office to put a smile on the faces of those affected as they are going through pain, agony, severe trauma, worry, and sleepless nights. They also plead for instalment payments.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Civil Society Organization wants Governor Sim Fubara to personally meet with them. They said this following the death of three members of the teachers of the demonstration school as a result of non-payment of their 8 years salary.
The chairman of the Rivers State Civil Society Organization Enefa Georgewill said the face-to-face interface will help reduce the tension. He explained that they have lost count of those whose children have dropped out of school or those who practically beg to feed their families. He however called on the Rivers State Governor to invite the teachers to pay them in installments and disengage them if the government will no longer need their services. He stated that these teachers who are mostly Rivers insignia don’t deserve this.
