Contrary to what you may think, Bayelsa teachers aren’t insatiable nor greedy.

They are simply protesting against the decision of Governor Seriake Dickson to pay them half of May salaries out of 5-month arrears they are being owed.

The teachers on Friday, gathered at the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Centre in Yenagoa to receive their salaries but they would eventually learn that the state government was paying out only 50 per cent of their May salaries.

The teachers, displeased with what was offered to them, rejected the salaries and stormed out of the centre to protest the state government’s action.

One of the affected teachers was quoted to have said, “We got a message this morning that we should come here that they wanted to pay us our salary. The annoyance is that the governor paid civil servants their January salaries, but did not pay us and now he wanted to pay half salary for May, instead of paying us January salary.”

“We have not been paid since January and the governor wants to pay half salary for May. We assembled in front of the Government House and the governor was passing after he went for jogging. He called the leader of our group and told him to tell us to be patient and accept the half salary for May and that at the end of this month he would pay January salary.”

“What we are saying is that we cannot accept half salary for May without our January salary being paid to us. The issue of the January salary should be addressed.”