Massive protest in Benin as pensioners, staff of Edo College of Education demand months of unpaid salaries and pensions
…condemn Obaseki for dishonest ‘redeployment’ claims
…we’re dying, they cry out

Staff and Pensioners of the College of Education, Ekiadolor, staged another massive protest at the Ministry of Education, Iyaro, Benin City, on Monday to demand their 12-month unpaid salaries and pensions by the Obaseki-led Edo State Government, paralyzing economic activity and traffic flow in the area for several hours.

The demonstration was in continuation of the workers’ demand for the immediate payment of their owed salaries and pensions following the complete breakdown of talks between them and the state government after a discovery that the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, made a hush 15 billion naira payment to the PDP from the state treasury to obtain the party’s ticket and further his personal political ambition, despite repeatedly claiming that the state is cash-strapped and could not afford salaries.


The workers, dressed in black attire and bearing placards, blocked the entire Iyaro axis and the busy Lagos road in Benin City, the state capital, to press home their demands at the Ministry of Education.

The Chairman of the Senior Staff Union, College of Education, Ekiadolor, Comrade Ken Omoruyi, said the protest to the Ministry of Education was to debunk the dishonest claims of the Obaseki-led Edo State Government that the staff of the college had been redeployed and the College no longer exists.

In his words, “the state government is owing us 12 months salaries and we are here to debunk the rumors making rounds that the staff of the College have been redeployed.”

"We are here to see the Commissioner for Education and ask him when we were redeployed and if we were given redeployment letters.”

"There are also rumors that the College of Education has ceased to exist, which is not true because the state government appointed a Provost, Registrar, and Bursar for the College.”

In the same vein, the Chairman of the College of Education Academy Staff Union and the President of the Coalition of Unions in the college, Comrade Fred Omonuwa, said the College had not been given adequate subvention in recent times, with the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, reneging on his promises without justifiable reasons.

"We have been on this protest for a long time and decided to take it to the Ministry of Education.”

"The Commissioner said we are no longer Staff, but no sack letter to that effect, he also said we have been redeployed, but we were not given letters of redeployment.”

Mr. Efosa Uzebu who spoke on behalf of the pensioners of the College said they were being owed 12 months pensions and gratuity following Governor Obaseki’s refusal to comply with his installment payment plans.

“The present Governor of Edo, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said he was going to pay the pensions in 15 installments, he paid 5 installments and stopped.”

"We are appealing that he pays us because many of us are dying and many are in the sickbed.”

Purported education reforms form the key plank of Governor Obaseki’s justification for re-election but his advertised ‘achievements’ in the sector have been rubbished by continuous protests from the staff of different institutions who lament poor investments and welfare, alongside furious parents in several rural communities whose children attend schools with inadequate staff and non-existent support infrastructure.

Any governor that fail to pay workers and pensioners as at when due is a useless governor. Obaseki should be voted out of office on September 19.