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Tag: Mike Ike-Ene

  • Over 600 teachers killed in North east-NUT

    The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has condemned the incessant killings and abduction of school officials by armed bandits in Zamfara state and other parts of the country.

    Dr Mike Ike-Ene, the Secretary-General of the NUT made the condemnation in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Friday, describing it as `alarming and worrisome’.

    According to Ike-Ene, the Union is deeply concerned over the rising insecurity in some parts of the North, urging the Federal Government to fashion out an agenda to help check the trend for peaceful coexistence.

    He said that community policing using vigilance group was not enough to check insecurity in the country, but rather collective effort and adequate security apparatus.

    Ike-Ene disclosed that over 600 teachers have lost their lives in the North East through insurgency and social unrest in the area, adding that it has discouraged teachers from working or being transferred to the affected states.

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    The secretary-general, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to do all it could to secure the release of the abductees and ensure total security of both students and teachers across the country.

    “The insecurity in the country has become so rampant that people could no longer sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.

    Two caterers and three children during an attack on Government Girls Secondary School, Moriki, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara were on Wednesday night abducted by unknown bandits.

    NAN

     

  • NUT urges FG to address shortage of teachers in schools

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers ( NUT ) has called on the Federal Government to employ qualified teachers to address the shortage of teachers in schools in the country.

    The Secretary-General of the union, Dr Mike Ike Ene, made the call in an interview with the News men in Abuja on Tuesday.

     We have professional teachers but the problem is that the government are not taking any step to filling up these yearning gaps we have in our schools.

    “If you go to some schools you will find out that we still have situations where you get one teacher to a hundred pupils or one teacher to 70 students.

    “Yet we have colleges of education, universities, other educational faculties and departments that are churning out quality, qualified professional teachers.

    “These teachers are not being employed; people are using employment as political patronage instead of employing the right people.

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    “If Liberia says they want this quality, qualified and professional teachers and we think we have ( them ), instead of staying here to waste away, we should be able to allow those who are prepared to go there to do so.

    “After all there is always this exchange programme that is based on bilateral agreement.

    “But  I want to advise that you do not give somebody the nose which you are using to breath. “Rather, let  our  government do everything in its power to keep these teachers by employing them and posting them t the schools that need them.’’

    The News men reports that Liberian President George Weah had requested Nigeria to help fill the 6,000 teacher deficit in his country.

    Weah said that the government needed to make up the teacher deficit at the federal, state and local government levels.

    NAN

     

  • NUT directs members not to resume schools in states owing salary arrears

    NUT directs members not to resume schools in states owing salary arrears

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers ( NUT ) has restated its position that the teachers in 10 states that are still owing salary arrears should not resume work until all arrears were paid.

    Dr Mike Ike-Ene, General-Secretary of the union, spoke on the directive in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

    Ike-Ene said that 10 out of 36 states still owed teachers several months of salary arrears in spite of the Paris Club Refund given to states by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He listed the states to include; Abia, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Kwara and Taraba, describing them as chronic debtors as far as teachers’ salaries are concerned.

    According to him, Abia owes primary school teachers four months and secondary school teachers one month, Adamawa; two months to primary school teachers and one month to secondary.

    “Others are Bayelsa; seven and half months to primary school teachers and four and half months to secondary, Benue owes 12 months to primary school teachers and seven months to secondary.

    “Ekiti owes eight months to primary school teachers and five months to secondary, Kogi; three months to primary school teachers and three months to secondary.

    “Taraba; six months to primary school teachers, Delta; four months to primary school and one month to secondary. Kwara and Ondo owe teachers three and four months’ salary arrears of 2016 respectively,’’ he explained.

    Ike-Ene said that the union has directed its members in the affected states, especially the primary school teachers not to resume work until all the arrears were cleared.

    He also said that NUT had in 2017, appealed to the governors concerned to use the period of the Christmas holiday to clear all the arrears, but yet some still failed to do so.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2017, advised state governors to use the Paris Club Refund to liquidate any form of arrears they owe workers.

    NAN

  • NUT applauds Buhari’s administration, appeals for payment of outstanding salaries

    NUT applauds Buhari’s administration, appeals for payment of outstanding salaries

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Monday applauded the Buhari led administration for its achievements, especially in the educational sector and appealed for intervention on teachers’ unpaid salary arrears.

    The Acting Secretary General of the union, Dr Mike Ike-Ene, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the applause became necessary considering the relative peace in the country since its inception.

    “Although I will not say that we have gotten it correctly, when there is relative peace to an extent, we can now say that there is progress.

    “At least one thing this administration has done is being a little proactive to issues concerning education and other areas.

    “This government is more open to dialogue, negotiation and discussion and when these things are involved in any issues, parties concerned understand themselves better,” he noted.

    Ike-Ene also decried the rate at which some state governments were owing teachers’ salary arrears for months.

    According to him, Benue, Bayelsa, Osun and Imo governors, among others, are owing primary school teachers several months of salary arrears.

    “As I talk to you now our teachers in Benue primary schools are owed 10 months salary arrears and they are still working; 10 good months people cannot put food on their table.

    “ There are cases whereby the father and the mother are teachers, are they going to rob bank before they put food on their table; not only Benue, Bayelsa also owes eight good months.

    “In Osun, very many states; in Imo state our teachers are paid in percentages; primary school teachers are owed various sums of money in various states.

    Ike-Ene, however, called on the Federal Government to call the governors concerned to order, saying that teachers would stop work at those states that owed.