Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the state governor, Idris Wada to pay their entitlements or face industrial action.
The state NUT chairman, Suleiman Abdullahi, who spoke in Lokoja at the weekend, decried what he called government’s insensitivity to the plight of teachers.
He said many teachers had died due to hardship caused by non-payment of salaries and that even those alive were living in abject poverty.
He said the union was particularly concerned “about the deliberate and prolonged deprivation of the privileges and rights of teachers who have continued to offer selfless service to the society and government, even in the face of degradation”.
He added: “The issues still at stake include non implementation of 100 per cent minimum wage to Basic Education teachers in consonance with the September 2013 agreement, non implementation of promotions for the past four years, Non payment of annual leave allowances since 2011, non implementation of annual incremental steps since 2011, non payment of December 2014 salary, non payment of November 2014 outstanding salary to teachers in Okene, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Olamaboro and Omala LGEA and delay in the payment of salaries”.
He said the union also frowned on inconsistency in the percentage used in payment of January, February and March salaries, omissions and underpayment of salaries to teachers across the state as well as government’s unwillingness to reconstitute a full-fledged board of SUBEB in accordance with the relevant laws.
“It is worrisome that government does not seem to appreciate the damage that it is tacitly causing, not only to teachers and their families, but to the entire education subsector and the future of the state by glossing over the plight of teachers for so long”, he said.
He said the union had exhausted all peaceful means and that it was now left with no other option than to embark on an industrial action if its demands are not met.
