CALABAR — Over 600 construction workers handling Section 3B of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project in Cross River State have downed tools to protest severe salary slashes, persistent workplace intimidation, and poor operational conditions, demanding the immediate dismissal of Lebanese expatriate managers handling the site.
The peaceful demonstration, which commenced on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, completely paralyzed operations at the Hitech Construction Company construction yard, with workers vowing to sustain the industrial action until their grievances are comprehensively addressed.
Speaking on behalf of the striking staff, a site representative, Mr. Oke, revealed that Nigerian laborers have been subjected to harsh working conditions, underpayment, and systematic wage deductions despite working day and night shifts to keep the project on schedule.
“Nigerian labourers perform the bulk of the strenuous work under dangerous conditions, yet we are continuously cheated, underpaid, and short-changed. Our monthly payments were arbitrarily reduced despite working round the clock,” Oke stated.
The workers also alleged that scrap building materials, which were previously shared among site employees as part of welfare packages, are now being secretly sold off by foreign managers without employee consent.
Further compounding the unrest, female workers at the site complained of marginalization and poor workplace sanitation, pointing out that female staff are forced to operate without separate restroom facilities while expatriate personnel enjoy access to multiple private restrooms.
The protesters further accused the foreign site managers of undermining local governance by rejecting the appointed State Liaison Officer for the project, Mr. Asuquo Ukpayang, and attempting to impose a handpicked Community Liaison Officer to bypass local accountability.
Addressing the protesting workers at the site, Ukpayang expressed full solidarity with their plight, confirming that complaints regarding unauthorized salary deductions and unpaid operational entitlements had reached his office.
Ukpayang disclosed that the Wife of the Cross River State Governor, Mrs. Eyoanwan Otu, had earlier engaged the executive management of Hitech Construction Company to demand fair treatment and better welfare packages for all local workers.
“Your complaints are legitimate, and we are stepping in to ensure justice is done. I am opening direct negotiations with Hitech senior management, the Federal Controller of Works, and the Minister of Works to resolve these issues once and for all,” Ukpayang assured the crowd while appealing for calm.
Despite the intervention, representatives of the 600 workers insisted that full construction operations across Section 3B would remain shut down until formal agreements are signed and outstanding financial claims are remitted into their accounts.
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