Pelican Stars Players Protest Non Payment Of Salaries and Bonuses

Pelican Stars Players Protest Non Payment Of Salaries and Bonuses

By Editor

One of the founding members of women football in Nigeria, Pelican Stars of Calabar seems to be going through hard times as players of the took to the street to protest non payment of salaries and allowances.

Pelican Stars, the most successful women team in Nigeria with 7 NWPL titles were relegated in 2017/2018 season before gaining promotion back to the women top flight football in 2018/2019 pro league season.

It is disheartening to know that in this time and age the Cross River State Government (CRSG) through its Football Association and Sports Commission has been owing the salaries and bonuses of the players and backroom staff of the Nigerian Women Premier League (NWPL) club, Pelican Queens of Calabar dated as far back as June 2019.

The players of the Veteran Calabar based team embarked on a peaceful protest to the Government House of Cross River State forth night ago to express their grievances about untold hardship that have ensued from this age long bad habit of the government turning deaf ears to months of owed salaries and bonuses.

And the players of the club proceed on another protest on Monday 6th April, 2020, the players of newly promoted Pelicans Queens ventured again in the morning to the Government house of Cross River State to demand for their monies.

After hours of sitting down under the scorching sun, waiting and hoping to see the Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Ben Ayade but were disappointed when the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Offa Aya welcomed the girls by telling them that the Governor is not available and that they should go home as the matter will be addressed.

A player of the team who pleaded anonymous said that the former Commissioner of Sports in the state was never concerned about the welfare of the team and that the new commissioner (Hon. Aya) who was sworn in by November 2019 was not aware of the backlog of the owed salaries and bonuses.

The players of the team refuted the plead of Hon. Aya and insisted that they will sit outside the Government house and await for the arrival of Governor Ayade.

By exactly, 2:41PM on Monday, tired but not giving up, the players of Pelicans Queens of Calabar in solidarity left to the anguish of many.

This is the height of wickedness to humanity especially women by this show of public embarrassment of the Cross River State Government to these girls who are daughters, mothers, sisters, wives of families who are bread winners.