The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Thursday threatened to embark on indefinite strike following back logs of salaries owing teachers for several months by states governments.
The National President of the union, Comrade Michael Alogba Olukoya, who spoke in Abuja during the 2018 Solemn Assembly of the union where prayer session was also held for an end to all incessant killings and maiming across the country and for the nations economic recovery, political stability, religious tolerance improvement in the security of lives and property across the nation said the Union will after gathering situation report from states.
Olukoya gave the names of the states owing teachers salary as: Benue (12 months), Nasarawa (26 months half salaries), Taraba (6 months), Ondo (4months), Kwara (2 Months), Abia (5 months primary, secondary 7 months), Ekiti (9 months primary, 5 months secondary, Kaduna (5 months, 5 months secondary), Delta (5 months primary, 5 months secondary), Osun (primary and secondary, 28 months), Oyo (1 month), Bayelsa ( 7 months primary, 3 months secondary).
The NUT boss similarly, condemned the sacking of over 21,000 primary school teachers on account of the spurious claim that the teachers could not score up to 75 percentage in a competency test that was conducted by the state government without recourse to the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
“We ismay over this show of impunity and lack of respect for the rule of law, he call on the government of Karina to rewind it’s decision.”
On teachers retirement age, Olukoya said there is need to review the retirement age of teachers from 60-65 years while also opposing the transfer of the funding and management of primary education to Local Government Councils in the name of granting autonomy to the councils.
The Union further condemned the hardship being experienced by retired teachers in some states of the Federation, where they are glaringly denied their pension and gratuity for years after rendering meritorious service to the nation while also commending the state governments that have regularly paid salaries and allowances of teachers to continue in their good works.
