Primary school teachers in Yagba West local government area of Kogi State yesterday rejected the bid by the council to pay them 35 percent salary against Governor Yahaya Bello’s directives.
The teachers in their hundreds had gathered at the local government secretariat at Odo-Ere to protest the plan to pay 35 per cent salary, agitating for the payment of their full salary. The protesters chanted war songs, carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘Primary School Teachers are Human beings’. ‘We say No to 35 percent Payment of Salary’.
‘Governor Bello has not approved percentage payment for Teachers.’ While the protest was going on, it was gathered that the police shot repeatedly into air to disperse the protestors.
While scampering for safety, many of the agitators fell and were injured which further infuriated them, insisting they must receive 100 percent salary payment. National Mirror gathered that the Education Secretary of Yagba West had earlier invited the NUT leaders in the local council and informed them of plan to pay 35 percent of their salary. This did not go down well with the NUT leaders who reported back to their members, agreeing on yesterday’s protest to show their disgust over the government plan.
Spokesperson of the teachers, Pastor Andrew Ige, told journalists at Odo- Ere yesterday that their demonstration was to make their suffering known to the public. Ige explained that the meeting with council chairman did not yield positive result. According to him, the council was reluctant in paying them their full salary but ready to pay political appointees 100 per cent emolument. This, he noted did not go well with the primary teachers in the local government. “Majority of teachers are getting tired of the situation as many cannot pay their children’s school fees, they can’t feed their families well or even afford basic needs of life any longer,” he stressed.
Credit: National Mirror
