Teachers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, may soon down tools unless the Action Minister Nyesom Wike intervenes fast.
Their grouse is the non-payment of owed allowances, going by the instructions from the local chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, which has directed its members across the six area councils to embark on strike from Monday, September 11, 2023.
The action came after a seven-day ultimatum earlier given the six area council chairmen to pay the 40 percent peculiar allowance and other outstanding allowances of primary school teachers by the union lapsed without success.
The union attributed the action to non-payment of teachers’ 25 months arrears as well as non-implementation of 40 percent peculiar allowance for its members by the council chairmen.
The development has put the resumption of secondary and primary schools across the FCT which were to resume for first term academic session on Monday, September 11, 2023, on hold.
The union gave the directive in a communique issued at the end of its emergency State Wing Executive Council, SWEC, meeting held at the Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada.
The Communiqué was jointly signed by NUT State Chairman, Comrade Stephen Knabayi and secretary, Margaret F. Jethro.
“After extensive deliberation on the state of education in the FCT, the welfare of its members particularly the seven days ultimatum issued to the six area council chairmen to pay the 40 percent peculiar allowance and other outstanding allowances of primary school teachers, nothing had been done to address these issues”, the communique read.
The communique added that the council chairmen failed to pay other outstanding allowances which the union said, included non-implementation of promotion arrears, non-upgrading of concerned teachers, non-implementation of annual increments and non-implementation of promotion letters released for teachers among others.
“And having explored and exhausted all available avenues of getting these outstanding demands of the concerned teachers met without the desired result including non-commitment of the councils to the welfare of primary school teachers, the SWEC in-session resolved to direct all primary school teachers to embark on an infinite strike action on Monday, September 11, 2023”, the communique said.
The FCT chapter of NUT vowed that it would not call off the strike action until its demands are met while calling on parents across the FCT to remain guided by keeping their wards and children safe at home.
