Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kubwa Branch, on Monday chased students and teachers out of Junior Secondary School, Kubwa, as public primary and secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commenced an indefinite strike directed by the union’s State Wing Executive Council.
During the enforcement of the strike at the school, the Chairman of NUT Kubwa Branch, Mr. Amed Baba, said the industrial action was triggered by issues that have lingered for over three and a half years and are “as old as this present administration.”
He explained that at the twilight of the previous administration, primary school teachers in the FCT felt their salaries were among the lowest for Nigerian workers, leading to the introduction of what he described as a peculiar allowance, otherwise known as 40 percent, which was meant to increase teachers’ salaries by 40 percent.
According to Baba, the allowance was implemented within five months for junior and senior secondary school teachers, but primary school teachers were told they fall under the area councils and that payment was the councils’ responsibility.
He said some spokespersons of the area councils, particularly the Kuje chairman, initially denied during a meeting with the minister that primary school teachers were entitled to the 40 percent, but recently, “because they are about leaving,” stated that the teachers are qualified.
Baba insisted teachers know they are qualified and that there are documents from the National Salary Incomes and Wages Commission backing the position of the primary schools.
He said the peculiar allowance has now accumulated to 42 months, which is three and a half years, and that along with other entitlements, teachers are owed the N35,000 and N25,000 wage awards among other payments, adding “so many things, I just summarised it.”
Baba said the “crop of the matter now” is the promotion policy, stating that a promotion exam was held last year for both primary and secondary school teachers and that letters were supposed to have been given to teachers, but the FCT administration now says promotion will be based on vacancy.
“Meaning even if you write promotion, you are not entitled to it. Why are we writing promotion? If there’s no vacancy, why do you declare promotion?” he asked.
He added that the authorities are already preparing for the 2025 promotion exercise after conducting that of 2024 last year.
Baba said the union has had a series of engagements with the government and the authority of the FCT but it is “as if they are playing politics with a very important sector of the country, which is education,” stressing that “if teachers are not motivated by giving them their promotion, which we all know that a motivated teacher is the foundation for qualitative education.”
He stated that as it stands now, “there’s no school in FCT,” noting that what was happening at Junior Secondary School, Kubwa was taking place across the entire FCT.
On the impact on academics, Baba said the education system has already been disrupted and declared, “Maybe the government can even, since teachers are not important, maybe they can go to Utako. There are Agberos there now, they can come and help them so the examination. They can come and help them do the exam.”
Recall that the State Wing Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory, had directed primary and secondary school teachers to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.
The union in a communique which was jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; the State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and the State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, said “After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the union said.
