The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Michael Alogba-Olukoya

  • NUT rejects El Rufai’s competency test

    NUT rejects El Rufai’s competency test

    The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, have condemned the plan by Kaduna state government to sack over 21,000 teachers for failing a competency test conducted in the state for Teachers.

    National President of the Union, Michael Alogba Olukoya stated this in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital after the National Executive Council meeting of the Union on Friday.

    The Union in rejecting the competency test said that, not only did the test not pass the test and measurement standard, but also it was illegal and unconstitutional.

    “The Nigerian Union of Teachers totally condemn the decision by Kaduna State Government to sack over 21,000 teachers from its employment over purported incompetence based on an unstructured competency test. The Union strongly rejects in its entirety the purpose, intent, process and the outcome of the exercise and hereby call for the immediate cancellation of the results of the competency test”

    “It is common knowledge that teaching is a profession regulated by a statutory and competent body(TRCN) which is saddled with the responsibility of administering test and the registration of Teachers. To do anything otherwise by the state government in this regard is an infringement on the profession and the extant laws of the land”’

    Mr Olukoya expressed his disappointed at the undemocratic actions of the state governor, Nassir El Ruffai who it alleged have refused to heed the numerous calls by the Union and other organisations to soft pedal on the matter and toe the part of dialogue.

    “Teachers are democrats, Kaduna state government should respect the rule of law. They don’t have to wake up from comfort of their room and administer question for teachers in the name of interviews, it is never done. Whatever we have to do, let it be in the rule of law, we should do things that are legal. Anybody could call dog bad name because you want to hang it. The government of Kaduna has made up their minds to embarrass the teachers, to disgrace the teachers”.

    “There are rules that govern tense and measurements; measurement is a course
    of its own in education. When you are not a professional you are administering questions for teachers that are professionals, it is never done. The test that is being administered by Kaduna state government has not passed tense and measurement questions, there are not standard
    questions”.

    “Let me say this without being the modest. Governor El’ Rufai is one of the people that are outspoken among the governors today. But when it comes to democratic traits, we are disappointed. We have written him even before now. Nigeria Labour Congress has written
    him. There is no organization that has not written to Governor El’Rufai but here you are. And we now begin to look at his antecedents. Even if you want to bring a change, it has to follow
    procedure and what we are saying is that Governor Rufai has been written but he has not replied us”.

    The Union vowed to vehemently resist the planned mass sack of teachers of the Kaduna state government.

    “The Union wishes to reiterate its stand to mobilize any attempt to sack teachers based on any illegal process. We hereby, strongly advise Kaduna state Government to focus on organizing the necessary training and re-training of teachers through the relevant training facilities as it is incumbent upon the government to improve on the quality of teachers and school administration for enhanced productivity”.

    The Teachers also gave an ultimatum to states owing Teachers salaries to clear them before end of the year.

    “The Union totally condemn the inhuman treatment of teachers as is manifested in the unpaid arrears of salaries/pensions to teachers in Kogi, Benue and many other states ranging from 2-22 months, thus putting the teaming teachers in these states permanently in penury”.

    “The Union has decided against the background of all these unhealthy and unacceptable developments that enough is enough. There is no more time for rhetorics. The time is now for teachers to take their destiny into their hands to salvage the deteriorating condition that they have been forced into”.

    “The National Executive Council of the Union has therefore resolved that the governments of all the affected states owing salaries and pensions of teachers should offset such debts before the end of the year 2017, failing which the union will be left with no other option than to shut down schools in all the affected states” .

  • Labour unions resolve to support LG autonomy

    The leadership of labour unions in the country have resolved to support Local Government Autonomy.

    The unions are National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Medical Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN).

    Mr Ayuba Wabba, the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said this in a statement jointly signed by him, Mr Ibrahim Khaleel, President NULGE and Mr Michael Alogba- Olukoya, President of NUT.

    Wabba said that the decision was taken after exhaustive deliberations at a meeting convened by the National Leadership of the NLC.

    He said the meeting was to address some concerns raised by the unions with respect to the ongoing agitation by NULGE for Local Government Automotive.

    Speaking on primary school education in the country, the NLC president said it should be seen as a stepping stone and the foundation of all forms of education that deserved a national policy.

    He said the funding should be the responsibility of the federal, state and local governments in order to ensure, guarantee and effect regular and timely payment of teachers’ salaries, entitlements and benefits.

    Wabba also stressed the need for  teachers’ salaries to be a first line charge on the federation account.

    He, however, said another alternative was that the Constitution should strengthen the Supreme Court judgment in the Attorney-General of the Federation versus Attorneys-General of the 36 states, NWLR 6th May, 2002, Part 764.

    According to him, Part 764 stipulates  that removing in the process every ambiguity, lacuna or impediment, ceding responsibility for payment of teachers’ salaries to states wherein it is stated inter alia.

    “It also states that ” as far as primary education is concerned, a local government council only participates with the State Government. The function obviously remains with the State Government”.

    “It stated the tha ” existing agencies such as Universal Basic Education Commission, State Universal Basic Education Commission should be strengthened and empowered to play their roles and discharge their functions”.

    “It also states that the autonomy of local government councils shall be total, comprehensive with all the rights, structures, duties, functions, privileges and obligations.

    “It is clearly spelt out as is the case with the federal and state governments.

    “It stated that Clauses 7, 8, 162 and any other clause in the 1999 Constitution that compromise the autonomy of local government should be deleted, he said.

    Wabba explained that this was in order to give free and unfettered meaning to “autonomy” and make local governments function as third-tier governments.

    According to him, it will also ensure that  Local governments are directly funded and tenure of their executive and legislature stated.

    “It will also ensure unfettered establishment and functionality of the Primary Health Care Boards and Authorities that include salaries, training, programme funding such as immunization, among others,” he added.

  • 28 states owe our teachers backlog of salaries – NUT  

    28 states owe our teachers backlog of salaries – NUT  

    The Nigerian Union of Teachers on Wednesday said that 28 states are currently owing its teachers backlog of salaries in the country.
     
    National President of the union, Michael Alogba-Olukoya, said this during a two-day workshop on commercialization and privatisation of education, jointly organised by NUT and Educational International (EI) for the National Executive Council (NEC) members of the union in Abuja on Wednesday.  
     
    He accused some states governors of being “insensitivity” to the plight of its teachers by refusing to pay their salaries in hard times.
     
    According to him, the economic recession came to worsen the situation for teachers in Nigeria with many teachers being owed by their state governments. 
     
    Alogba-Olukoya also accused some state governors of deliberately sacking 35 teachers for making errors during the world teachers’ day celebration.
    We have the issue of salary payment. As I speak, almost about 28 states, one way or the other are owing our teachers.
     “And to add salt to this injury, some of our teachers because we were celebrating world teachers day, they made error, they were dismissed. About 35 of them but thank God today it is now history,” he said.
     
    He said the Nigerian teachers were confronted with many challenges, including the recent Boko Haram insurgency which claimed the lives of many teachers in the North-East.

    Olukoya commended teachers and NUT leaders from Borno state for remaining undaunted by not allowing the challenges of Boko Haram insurgencies to cow them.
     
    He condemned the commercialization and privatisation of education in Nigeria, saying the policy has left education in the hands of private proprietors of schools who charge outrageous school fees in the bid to make a profit. 
     
    “Enough of producing second class citizens in the name of education. It is another way (commercialization) of producing modern day slavery in our academic sector,” he said.
     
    He directed all teachers in the country to register with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria to avoid being kicked out of the classrooms.
     
    “Everybody must register, must upgrade your status. That is the global thing. That is what is happening all over the world. We don’t want any of our members to be a scapegoat. Let us go back to our states and ensure everything works out,” he added.
  • NUT hails Ajimobi’s education policy

    NUT hails Ajimobi’s education policy

    THE National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, has praised the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi for the innovations he has brought to the state’s education sector.

    The NUT chief hailed the raising of the bar of primary school teachers, who are university graduates from Grade Level 14 to Grade Level 15.

    He the move had addressed the long years of the teachers’ stagnation.

    Alogba-Olukoya, who spoke at the inauguration of a model school built by the state wing of NUT at Apata, Ibadan, also acknowledged the increase in the salaries of workers recently announced by the governor.

    “When I was invited to this occasion, I enquired from the state NUT officials whether they had any issue with the governor or whether they had any problem with the state government. They said that all their demands had been granted by the governor.

    “I even tried to pull their legs, but they stood their ground and insisted that as far as Governor Ajimobi was concerned, he had been a good father to Oyo State teachers,” he said.

    The provision of the gazette that would ease teachers’ burden upon retirement as well as the provision of utility vehicles for NUT, ANCOPSS and COPHSON also received mention by the NUT president.

     

     

    All these, he said, had made the governor the toast of the teachers, adding that the union would remain grateful for Ajimobi’s efforts at transforming the education sector.

    Meanwhile, the state government has begun the construction of six model schools in the state, with the turning of the sod of Oba Akinbiyi Model School, Mokola in Ibadan.

    The conversion of the six Generic Secondary Schools to Model Schools, he said, was a memorable event for the state’s education industry.

    “The vision of the present administration of restoration, transformation and repositioning all sectors in the state has put education on our priority list, being one important legacy that the government hopes to bequeath to posterity.

    “In this regard, we committed 33 per cent of the total budgetary allocations of the state to the education sector. This is far higher than the UNESCO recommendation,” the governor said.

    He identified the schools being converted to model schools as Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan; Baptist High School, Saki; Ogbomoso High School, Ogbomoso; Oba Akinbiyi High School II, Ibadan; Obaseku High School, Eruwa and Abiodun Atiba High School, Oyo.

    The model schools, when completed, would have 4 blocks of 6 classrooms each (24 classrooms) with staffroom and toilets, a unit of science laboratory for Physics, Chemistry and Biology; Introductory Technology Workshop; Home Economics Laboratory as well as Administrative Block.

    The Administrative Block will include Principal’s Office, Computer Room, Library, School Hall, Sick Bay and Sports Arena.

  • ASUU strike: NUT meets Thursday

    ASUU strike: NUT meets Thursday

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is to hold a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday to decide its next line of action over the lingering strike by university teachers.

    The NUT President, Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, said this in a telephone chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

    The union had on September 26 given a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and the lecturers to resolve their differences and end the strike or face nationwide strike by NUT members.

    The lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on the nationwide strike on July 1.

    The lecturers described the strike as “comprehensive, total and indefinite.”

    Alogba-Olukoya told NAN that the union extended the ultimatum following appeals from well-meaning Nigerians.

    He, however, noted that the extension would end on Tuesday.

    “Since we gave the ultimatum, well meaning Nigerians have been pleading with us.

    “In order not to cry more than the bereaved, we gave them till October 22. The NEC members will meet on Thursday to decide our next line of action, “he said.

    NAN reports that the university teachers are protesting non-implementation of an agreement they signed with the Federal Government in 2009 on improved funding of universities and payment of allowances to ASUU members, among others issues.