About 4,000 teachers employed by the Akwa Ibom State Secondary Education Board (SSEB) during the 2017/2018 recruitment exercise have lamented the non-payment of their promotion arrears for four years and 10 months, saying the situation has plunged many of them into poverty and heavy debt.
The affected teachers, operating under the umbrella of the Concerned Akwa Ibom Teachers Forum (CAITF), made their grievances known in a petition addressed to Governor Umo Eno and routed through the Ministry of Education, headed by the Commissioner, Prof. Ubong Essien.
In the petition dated Friday, December 17, 2025, and made available to journalists in Uyo at the weekend, the teachers expressed concern that the prolonged neglect of their welfare has severely dampened their morale and could negatively affect their effectiveness as educators.
Leaders of the forum, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the Public Service Rules (PSR) bar them from open protest or public criticism of the government. They nonetheless appealed to Governor Eno to urgently intervene, warning that continued insensitivity to their plight could undermine ethical standards in the teaching profession.
Titled “Petition on Non-Payment of Promotion Arrears Owed to Teachers Employed in 2017/2018,” the letter detailed what the teachers described as years of hardship following promotions without corresponding financial benefits.
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According to the petitioners, they were due for promotion from Salary Grade Level (GL) 8 to GL 9 in January 2021, but promotion letters were not issued until December 2023, with no arrears paid for the delayed period. Similarly, they became eligible for promotion from GL 9 to GL 10 in January 2024, but letters were again delayed until December 2025, without any payment of arrears.
The teachers argued that the delays contravene provisions of the Public Service Rules on advancement and promotion, the Labour Act’s guarantees of fair remuneration, and Section 17(3)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates just and humane conditions of work.
They stressed that promotion without arrears amounts to a denial of earned entitlements and has imposed severe financial hardship, especially amid rising living costs.
The group appealed to the governor to approve the payment of all outstanding promotion arrears from January 2021 to November 2023 for GL 8–9, and from January 2024 to November 2025 for GL 9–10, as well as to put measures in place to ensure timely promotions going forward.
Expressing confidence in Governor Eno’s commitment to fairness and workers’ welfare, the teachers said his intervention would restore their morale and strengthen their dedication to service.
