"If They Worked, Pay Them" — Pospi Otuson Makes Emotional Appeal to Gov Otu Over Unpaid LG Workers

The Founder of Possibility Web Solutions and Publisher of Boki Blog Africa, Pospi Otuson, has appealed to the Cross River State Government to pay local government workers who recently protested over 11 months of unpaid salaries, arguing that those who genuinely worked should not suffer for an alleged illegal recruitment scheme.

Otuson made the appeal in a public opinion following the position of the Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, who stated that the affected workers were never legally employed into the Cross River State Local Government Service.

According to Barr. Ekpo, the workers were victims of an alleged employment syndicate and were never officially recruited by the Commission.

While acknowledging the Commission Chairman's position, Otuson said his intervention was based on compassion and concern for ordinary Cross Riverians who may have been deceived.

He argued that the affected workers are indigenes of Cross River State and questioned whether they should bear the consequences of an alleged fraudulent employment scheme.

"They are Cross Riverians. They are not Cameroonians. They are not from Niger Republic. They are not refugees. They are our brothers, our sisters, our neighbours and our children," he stated.

Otuson raised what he described as a fundamental question in the controversy: whether the affected persons actually worked during the period they claimed salaries were withheld.

According to him, if the workers resumed duty daily, attended offices, handled official files, served in various local government councils and carried out responsibilities assigned to them, then they should receive payment for services already rendered.

He also pointed to the high unemployment rate in Cross River State, saying many graduates have remained jobless for years and would naturally embrace any opportunity that appeared to be genuine government employment.

Otuson argued that if the workers were truly deceived by an alleged employment syndicate, then they should also be regarded as victims rather than offenders.

He questioned why those allegedly responsible for the recruitment scam had not been publicly held accountable while the workers continued to bear the hardship of nearly one year without salaries.

Describing the situation as devastating, he noted that eleven months without income had placed enormous hardship on many affected families, with children allegedly going hungry, rent accumulating and many workers surviving through borrowing.

He further questioned who had been carrying out duties in the local government councils if the affected workers were not legitimately employed.

According to him, government should clarify whether legally employed staff were performing the same duties or whether the protesting workers had effectively been responsible for keeping the councils operational during the period.

While stressing that government should uphold the law, Otuson called for a thorough investigation into the alleged employment syndicate, insisting that anyone found responsible for orchestrating or benefiting from any illegal recruitment process should face prosecution.

However, he maintained that ordinary citizens who may have unknowingly accepted what they believed to be legitimate employment should not be abandoned after months of service.

He therefore appealed to Governor Bassey Otu and the Cross River State Government to consider the matter with compassion by paying workers who genuinely rendered services before determining any further legal or administrative actions.

According to him, justice should focus on those who allegedly committed the fraud rather than workers who may simply have been seeking employment to support themselves and their families.

Otuson described the statement as his personal opinion as "a common Cross Riverian."

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