Kwara teachers begin strike over unpaid salaries

ILORIN— The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kwara State has said primary school teachers in the state will embark on strike, today, to protest the non-payment of their four months’ salary arrears.

Chairman of the union, Comrade Musa Abubakar, made this known, yesterday, in Kaiama, Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.

The strike will begin just when schools are expected to resume from their first term holiday.

Abubakar said the union could no longer guarantee industrial harmony in the state following the non-payment of their four months’ salary arrears.

He said the primary school teachers had been loyal and dedicated to duty in spite of the failure of the government to pay them salaries for months.

He said: “I want to believe they have tried. If the members of the National Assembly are not paid for four months, I doubt if you will see anybody in the red or green chambers.

“I recall in Oyo State; they were not paid for just two months and some House of Assembly members did not go to work.

“So, for us to have worked for four months without pay, I think the teachers have tried and that is why we told the government that we cannot guarantee any industrial harmony again.

“We cannot guarantee any teacher going to class from today to teach with an empty stomach except the problem is addressed.”

He explained that the union would start a sit-at-home strike action beginning from today to press home its demand.

According to him, workers from other sectors will soon join in the strike action in the spirit of solidarity.

The NUT leader criticised the state government for creating a dichotomy between primary schools teachers and their counterparts in the secondary schools.

He claimed that a Supreme Court judgment in 2002 had made state governments responsible for the management and funding of primary schools in the country.

“It is just unfortunate that a situation like this revolves around primary school teachers in the country.

“I want to say without mincing words that if that trend should continue, the primary school system will soon collapse,” the union leader stated.

Abubakar, therefore, urged the state government to live up to its responsibilities by doing the right thing. “Education is the key and the bedrock of our development particularly at the grassroots.

“If this trend is not checked, honestly, this country will run into a problem. So I would, therefore, urge the federal, state, and local governments to ensure that the ugly trend is checked,” he said.