Some women employed as street sweepers in Akure, the Ondo State capital, took to the streets on Monday to protest the non-payment of their stipends for four months.
The women, among whom are widows, threatened to down tools if not paid.
They marched to the state’s Ministry of Environment, where they expressed their grievances.
The protesters lamented the “shabby” treatment being melted on them by the management of the ZL Global Alliances, a private company in charge of waste management and recycling in the state.
Speaking with journalists, one of the leaders of the protestors, Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, 60, explained that the angry protesters were the ones sweeping the streets, highway roads, and markets and are still being owed the stipend of N10,000 for four months.
She said, “We close as late as 5 pm. I use N1000 per day to and from work and I am a widow. We always complain but they don’t answer us.”
Another elderly woman, Bimbo Adekunle, said they are always at their duty post as early as 4:30 am to sweep the roads, lamenting that it was tiring not being paid at the due time.
Reacting, the General Manager of ZL Global Alliance, Biola Basorun, said she had held a meeting with the protesting sweepers with the assurance that they would start receiving their pay next week.
