As the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State draws near, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) yesterday said its members will only vote for a governorship candidate who will prioritise their welfare.
Kogi State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Suleiman Abdullahi, lamented during a briefing ahead of today’s Teachers Day celebration, lamented that governments in the state had neglected teachers.
He noted that teachers who contributed immensely to the development of the society by helping to impart knowledge, are often neglected and treated with disdain.
Abdullahi said teachers in the state knew the antecedents of all the governorship candidates and would be wise in deciding whom to vote.
“The teachers of Basic education in Kogi State will only vote for education friendly candidate. We have not said vote for A, B or C, but your handiwork will set you out; your performance will expose you.
“Teachers are frontline workers of the education system. They are responsible for engaging students and promoting learning. They discharge their duties diligently, yet when it comes to remuneration, they are made to go through harrowing experiences.
“It is a known fact that both the Holy Bible and Qu’ran abhor the sweat of the labourer drying up before he gets his wages. Why then do we have to allow the last drop of the teacher’s blood to dry up without accessing his wages?”, he said.
He said that despite the devotion of teachers in the state to their duties, they were still being owed several years of leave grants, unimplemented promotions, annual increment and minimum wage. He added that the education sector would continue to face setbacks if teachers don’t get their legitimate entitlements.
“Teachers are highly valuable resources towards achieving a sustainable society but today, we are overworked, underpaid, underrated, undervalued and underestimated. It is said that to whom much is given, much is expected, so to whom little or nothing is given, what will be expected?”
