Tag Archives: NUT

3 wounded as Ekiti Nigerian Union of Teachers’ election turns bloody.

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No fewer than three persons were reportedly wounded during the election into Ekiti State Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.

Two other persons were said to have been arrested by men of the Department of State Service during the violence which broke out when a group of teachers protested against alleged manipulation of delegates list.

The victims, who were loyalists of a chairmanship candidate, Mr. Taiwo Adu, were reportedly beaten by men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the DSS.

Adu, who later addressed journalists, said those wounded had been taken to hospitals for treatment.

He explained that violence broke out when the outgoing executive refused to address a petition raised by his support group – the Progressives – which queried the delegates list.

He accused the outgoing chairman, Samuel Akosile, and the secretary, Olugbenga Ajibade, of doctoring the list to favour his rival, Mr. Olusegun Olugbenga.

“Instead of 87 delegates for Ado Local Government, we were given 35. We submitted petitions to the state and the national body of NUT but received no response.”

Adu said the security men invited by the secretary shot sporadically into the air to scare his supporters away.

He added, “Three of us were wounded by the members of the other group -The Possibility- and two of us detained in DSS custody. The election should be cancelled.”

But reacting, the Ekiti NUT secretary denied the allegation that the delegates list was doctored.

According to him, the delegates were carefully chosen in line with the NUT constitution and based on financial strength of the local governments.

Ajibade said nobody was beaten by security agencies, clarifying that security men were only there to maintain the law and order.

“Before the election, the issue was taken to the state executive council and all the representatives from the 16 local governments were present. At the meeting, the numbers allotted to each council was read and nobody raised an objection. So, it was wrong for them to come and raise the issue on election day.”

Recruitment Of 1,300 Teachers Inadequate For Lagos State Primary Schools – NUT

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The Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said that employing 1,300 teachers to fill vacancies in more than 1,000 public primary schools in the state is “grossly inadequate”.

 

The union’s Chairman, Mr Segun Raheem, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos that 1,300 teachers amounted to one teacher per school.

 

He was reacting to NAN’s findings in the Alimosho Local Government primary schools where most of the classes have no teachers.

“1, 300 (teachers) that is ongoing is for primary schools, not secondary schools.

“Even the 1,300, like we have said, we have over 1000 schools in Lagos.

“That is, we are (recruiting) 1300, the statistic is like one (teacher) to a school and of course, this is grossly inadequate

“We have over 1,000 schools in Lagos State, if you are now recruiting 1300 (teachers), the statistics is like one (teacher) to a school and this is grossly inadequate.

“In fact, between last year and this year, more than 2,000 teachers would be retiring in that sector.

“Even the 1,300 they are planning to recruit will not even be enough to replace those that are retiring between last year and this year.’’

The chairman, however, appealed to the state government to recruit more teachers into the public primary and secondary schools so as to meet the UNESCO’s standard of 25 pupils to one class.

 

(NAN)

NUT Demands Immediate Payment Of Teachers

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The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged state governments owing teachers’ salaries to pay immediately, to ensure industrial peace.

 

The union made the call in a statement signed by Mr Obong I.J. Obong, the NUT General Secretary, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

 

It urged such state governments to be alive to their responsibilities and stop toying with the future of the Nigerian child.

 

“We call on these state governments to be alive to their responsibilities and not continue to toy with the future of our children for their political expediency. These governments must allow reason and morality to prevail as we demand for urgent and practicable steps to address all issues at stake, to avoid a prolonged strike and dislocation in the school calendar.

 

“Government at all levels must be reminded that, in this trying period of our national economic and social challenges, education should provide a lead way as an agent of moral, economic and social change.

 

“Regrettably, several state governments in our country have caused schools to remain closed one month after resumption.’’

 

 

It urged Kwara State Government to meet the demands of the teachers before the three-week ultimatum given to them by teachers expires.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the Kwara State teachers suspended their lengthy strike on Feb. 8, 2016.

 

They, however, gave the government a three-week ultimatum within which to resolve all their grievances or risk another prolonged strike.

 

NAN also gathered that Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Edo, Ekiti, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Taraba states are owing more than two months’ salary.

 

Bauchi, Delta, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau and Yobe are said to be owing January 2016 salary.

 

The statement advised government must desist from using teachers’ recruitment as means compensation to party loyalists.

 

On the recruitment of 500,000 teachers, it urged the Federal Government to recruit only qualified graduates and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) holders.

 

According to the statement, “employing qualified teachers is the only way government can stop indicting itself when the unqualified people employed cannot deliver.’’

 

 

(NAN)

Primary School Teachers In Kwara Begin Strike Today Over Unpaid Salaries – NUT

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The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kwara says primary school teachers in the state will embark on strike on Monday to protest the non-payment of their four months’ salary arrears.

 

 

The Chairman of the union, Comrade Musa Abubakar, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaiama, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara .

 

 

NAN reports that the strike action will begin just when schools are expected to resume from their first term holiday.

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

“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 going 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 on Monday to teach with an empty stomach except the problem is addressed,’’ he said.

 

 

He explained that the union would start a sit-at-home strike action beginning on Monday 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.

 

 

He said that once that was done, the proliferation of private primary schools due to the public’s loss of confidence in public schools would be checked.

 

 

(NAN)

Tertiary Institutions Undermine JAMB By Conducting Post-UTME – NUT

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Mr Gunsling Yarlings, the Plateau NUT Chairman, has said that tertiary institutions’ insistence on conducting post UTME was undermining JAMB’s function as a body expected to conduct the examinations to decide who should be admitted.

“The implication is that the board lacks the capacity to discharge its fucntions,” Yarlings told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos on Thursday.
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He said that JAMB’s UTME was enough to access candidates for admission into higher Institutions, and wondered why there should be other examinations after candidates had already been graded by the Board.

‘’Post UTME is tautology; it means the school authorities are undermining the capability of JAMB by conducting their own exams.

“ Teachers Registration council of Nigeria (TRCN), for instance, was established to determine the standards of knowledge and skills required to become registered teachers.

“NUT cannot come up with its set of rules to screen the skills required for teachers or discipline them because it clearly undermines the function of the TRCN and NUT is telling them that they are not capable of discharging their functions,’’ he said.

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37 Teachers Died In Kaduna Bomb Blast – NUT president

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The National President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Micheal Olukoya, says that 37 teachers died in the bomb incident that rocked Sabongari in Kaduna state Two days ago July 7th. The teachers were at the state secretariat to partake in the verification exercise initiated by the government to weed out ghost workers.

While speaking at the Founder’s day of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Abuja today July 8th, Mr Olukoya said so far, 272 teachers had lost their lives to the various Boko Haram attacks in Borno State alone and that over 19,000  had been displaced in the North East.