The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Stand-Up for Women Society, and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have strongly condemned the Wednesday morning brutalisation and tear-gassing of elderly women and street sweepers in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
No fewer than 35 angry streets sweepers protested and blocked some roads in Calabar yesterday over their unpaid salaries of N5000 each.
In other parts of the state, namely Ogoja and Obudu LGAs, streets sweepers had earlier protested the non-payment of over one year backlog of salaries.
As the women, with widows among them, moved towards the state government secretariat, policemen reportedly blocked them, using teargas and hit some of them that chanted solidarity songs, denying them the chance to speak with officials.
President of FIDA, Ann Alorye Awah said the action of the law enforcement agents was totally condemnable and unacceptable.
“What is N5000 that government agencies should owe these poor women who have bills to settle including, feeding, house rents and school fees. Is it the national minimum wage?
“They have the right, as guaranteed under Nigerian and labour laws, to protest unpaid salaries having worked for it. It is sheer wickedness to owe such meagre stipends and we cannot accept it.
“The authorities should quickly clear these very shameful debts. It is a mockery on the Cross River State.”
Chairperson of Stand Up for Women Society (SWS), Mrs Umo Basi-Edet said, “It is a terrible thing to see innocent, aged women, some widows being tear-gassed by security operatives for committing no offense.
“The only offense committed by these poor women was to ask for their meager salaries of N5,000 and 7,500 only owed for the past 6months to be paid them.
“These are women who wake up as early as 3 am to 4 am, take to the streets irrespective of the many risks of being attacked, raped, or even knocked down by vehicles just to keep the state capital clean and green.
“SWS wishes to call on the State Government to address the issues raised by these women and do the needful to ameliorate their sufferings.”
In a statement released Thursday morning, NLC also condemned the brutalisation of the unarmed women whom they said have all the rights to demand their payments.
“How can Cross River government authorise the police to teargas these aged women who were only protesting several months of unpaid stipends. This is conscienceless, and the organised labour totally condemns it in strong terms.”
When contacted, the police spokesperson, Irene Ugbo, denied knowledge of the tear-gassing.
