Teachers from the Local Education Authority (LEA) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have staged a sit-in at the secretariats of all the six area councils to demand the payment of 25 months’ worth of minimum wage arrears and other owed entitlements.
At the secretariats in Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Kuje, the protesting teachers comprising men and women as well as nursing mothers, gathered in large groups at the entrance of the area councils.
They held placards with various inscriptions, among them, ‘Pay us our balance of 60% minimum wage arrears,’ ‘No to unfulfilled agreements’, Give us our rights,’ ‘Let LEA Teachers Breathe,’ ‘Give us our entitlements,’ ‘Our members are dying every day without their benefits,’ among others.
Some teachers, who spoke to journalists expressed their frustrations over the continuous non-payment of their entitlements by the chairmen in the area councils.
They lamented that many LEA Primary School teachers have been left in dire financial situations despite their dedication to educating the children in the FCT.
One of the teachers, simply identified as Zuwaira, shared her struggles, “I have four children in school, and I can’t afford their fees since my husband has been retired for over three years. The chairmen treat us like second-class citizens despite our sacrifices in our roles.”
Another teacher, Michael Azuka, justified the need for their protest, stating that it aimed to highlight the council chairmen’s failure to pay their outstanding arrears.
He pointed out that despite receiving substantial monthly allocations, the chairmen have neglected the teachers’ financial needs.
“None of these chairmen have their kids in public schools in the FCT, so they seem indifferent to our welfare while they indulge in building mansions and purchasing luxury cars for their associates,” he alleged.
The Secretary of the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Margaret Jethro confirmed that the union called for the sit-in to demonstrate the teachers’ dissatisfaction with the ongoing situation.
She noted that despite meetings with the council chairmen, no tangible solutions have been presented.
“We met with the chairmen last Saturday, but there was no positive outcome. They only vaguely mentioned plans to pay without committing anything in writing,” she explained.
Jethro acknowledged that similar assurances had been given in January during a meeting that included the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, yet no action had followed.
He said another meeting has been scheduled to hold between the NUT and the chairmen of the area councils on Thursday to further discuss the issue.
