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Tag: NUT

  • Borno NUT loses 360 teachers to Boko Haram

    The Borno State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said it lost 360 of its members to Boko Haram insurgency in the last four years.

    State NUT Chairman Bulama Abiso spoke at the distribution of materials to 70 families of slain teachers in Maiduguri, the state capital.

    The NUT chief said about 34,000 teachers were displaced across the state following Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said the union had registered 36,000 members in the state, adding that scores of others were taking refuge in various camps in Maiduguri.

    Abiso said the state chapter of the union donated the materials in collaboration with its counterparts from other northern states.

    The gesture, the NUT chairman said, was a palliative for the affected families.

    He regretted that the Education sector in the state was worse hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, with the killing of teachers, who he called the custodians of imparting knowledge to children.

    Abiso urged the Federal Government to step up operations to end the insurgency in the Northeast.

    He said: “We, therefore, appeal to the Federal Government and the security agencies to intensify efforts to end this insurgency.”

    He also urged the federal and state governments, non-government organisations (NGOs) and well-meaning Nigerians to assist the teachers in the state.

  • Don’t proscribe union, teachers warn NUT

    Don’t proscribe union, teachers warn NUT

    Secondary school teachers in Ekiti State are on the “warpath” with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), following moves to proscribe their union, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS).

    They slammed the state wing of the NUT for writing a petition to Governor Ayo Fayose  not to recognise ASUSS, saying their union was in consonance with extant labour laws and the constitution.

    Addressing a briefing yesterday, Ekiti ASUSS Chairman Olusola Adigun refuted the NUT’s claims that ASUSS was not properly registered, describing the NUT’s action as “uninformed and barbaric”.

    Adigun said ASUSS invoked the constitutional provision of freedom of association to free secondary school teachers from NUT’s stranglehold, which he accused of using blackmail as a weapon to achieve its aim.

    Adigun described the NUT allegation in the petition by its Chairman Kayode Akosile that ASUSS members were a “handful of desperate people who are ready to cause crisis in the state having lost out in previous elections conducted in the past” as baseless and spurious.

    He said many secondary school teachers now enjoy a  better welfare package under ASUSS unlike when they were under NUT, which he claimed failed to justify teachers’ check-off dues deducted from their salaries.

    Adigun, who produced many documents to substantiate his claims, maintained that ASUSS  is duly registered as a trade union by the Federal Ministry of Labour.

    He said the National Industrial Court in Enugu was explicit in its judgment that  NUT can only collect the check-off dues of its members.

    Adigun said: “We urge Akosile not to be impatient over this matter. He has to wait for the outcome of the suit he instituted before the Ekiti State High Court, challenging our  operation in the state rather than resorting to jackboot means.

    “We never played politics during Governor Kayode Fayemi’s government. It was even the NUT that played politics.

    “The union was given a bus by Fayemi and the governorship candidate of Labour Party, Opeyemi Bamidele, and no bus was given to us.

    “Where now is our relevance under that government if what NUT said was the truth?”

  • Ekiti APC tackles NUT boss over ‘apology’ to Fayemi

    Ekiti APC tackles NUT boss over ‘apology’ to Fayemi

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has berated the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kayode Akosile, for his comments that teachers  do not regret voting against the party’s candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

    The party condemned Akosile for “disowning” some teachers, who apologised to Fayemi for working against his re-election.

     It said: “The NUT boss is misrepresenting the interest of the teachers.”

    In a statement yesterday by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said Akosile’s statement “does not represent the view of teachers, who celebrated Christmas in hunger compared to the pomp with which they celebrated the previous Christmas under the Fayemi administration”.

    The APC challenged the NUT boss to deny the various welfare packages teachers enjoyed during the Fayemi administration, including salary increment four times and promotion.

    He urged the NUT boss to explain what Governor Ayo Fayose did for teachers between 2003 and 2006 “apart from buying ankara for them after deducting the cost from their salaries”.

    Olatunbosun said: “Teachers’ salaries were increased four times. From N7,500 minimum wage that Fayemi met in 2010, he increased it to N13,000.

     “Teachers also got 33 per cent relativity pay and later the minimum wage was increased to N19, 300 with teachers getting their 27.5 per cent pecuniary allowance.

    “Akosile also forgot to mention that under the Fayemi administration, teachers were paid 20 per cent of their salary as core subject allowance for those teaching core subjects and another 20 per cent as rural posting allowance as incentive for those posted to rural areas.

    “But today, all these allowances have been stopped by Akosile’s “teachers-friendly” Governor Fayose.”

    The APC spokesman said the NUT boss  failed to say that 1,953 primary school teachers, whose promotions were pending since 2010, were promoted in 2012.

     “Another 2,300 were promoted last year even as 1,019 public schools (primary and secondary) were renovated by the Fayemi’s administration.

    “It is mischievous that Akosile did not tell us that Ekiti State won the best secondary school teacher and second best primary school teachers awards in 2013,” he said.

    Olatunbosun said some senior head teachers whose highest grade was pegged at Level 16 were elevated to Grade Level 17 as tutors-general.

    He added: “Fayose deducted N200million from teachers’ salaries under the pretext of buying Christmas gifts only to give them kwashiokor-infested chickens and other disgraceful items not worth N700.

    “Fayemi did not deduct teachers’ salaries but paid them on December 18.

    “He paid them leave bonus, 30 per cent of their salary as bonus and also paid 20 per cent core subject and rural allowance during Christmas.

    “Once again, APC has accepted the apology of the teachers who are remorseful over the way they treated Governor Fayemi because they have realised that they were misled to do so.”

    But Akosile warned the party not to drag teachers into politics.

    He said the truth must be told irrespective of whose ox is gored.

    The NUT boss wondered how the APC spokesman, who is not a teacher, would know his members.

    Akosile said: “I wonder how he can claim to know Osho’s mother more than Osho himself.

    “Our statement is the correct reflection of the feelings of our members and we stand by it.

    “Once again, we say we have no regret voting against APC in the last governorship election.

    “We, as a union, do not want anybody to draw us into their dirty politics, but the truth must be told.”

  • Osun NUT faction rejects election

    A faction of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), in Osun State wing has rejected the election of the union conducted on November 25, saying it was illegal and a contempt of court.

    The election was allegedly conducted regardless of a court injunction obtained by the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and Justice Now Foundation (JNF), restraining the ousted Saka Adesiyan-led union from conducting it.

    A source said the court bailiff, who went to serve the leadership of the union with the injunction, was beaten by thugs, allegedly sponsored by the “unity faction” of the union.

    Due to the alleged crisis that heralded the election, the police, the source said, arrested Comrade Lere Olawuyi, who was acting as the union’s chairman at the time of the election and Comrade Wakili Amuda, who emerged the new chairman.

    The union was reported to have been polarised along “progressive and unity” camps as far back as 2009.

    A leader of the progressive faction and a chairmanship candidate at the election, Comrade Adeyemi Francis, said the election was against all the procedures of the union’s constitution in conducting polls.

    He said: “The election was illegal. On November 25, we had an opening session in Ife and expected that the election would be held on November 26, only to be informed later in the day through a text message that the election would be held by 7am on November 26 without taking those living afar into consideration.  However, the election held on November 25 after many people had left.”

    According to him, the election was done without accreditation and all the required procedures.

    However, the man at the centre of the controversy, Saka Adesiyan, insisted that there is no crisis or polarisation in the NUT, especially in Ile-Ife where the election was held.

    When contacted, Olawuyi failed to comment on the matter as the case is in court.

  • NUT decries proposed scrapping of state, council joint account

    NUT decries proposed scrapping of state, council joint account

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Imo State chapter, has condemned the proposed scrapping of the state, local government joint account. It said it would spell doom for the education sector.

    The union Chairman, Dr. Cletus Uchenna Okeke, who briefed reporters in Owerri, the Imo State capital, recalled that there was a near total collapse of primary education between 1990 and 1994 when primary schools came under the local governments, despite the increase of federal allocations to the councils from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

    Recounting the ordeals of teachers during the period, he said the situation attracted strikes from the  teachers, which he noted almost crippled primary education.

    Okeke said: “The effect is still haunting the education sector.

    “Primary school teachers, who retired during that period and even after, were not paid their pension and gratuity. Most of the lucky surviving retirees are still suffering the  effect of that neglect by  the councils. The salaries of the teachers and the pension funds were diverted to other areas, leaving the teachers to wallow in penury for years. This resulted in deaths.”

    The NUT boss listed the fallout of the proposed scrapping of the state, local government joint account to include: Non-payment of salaries of primary school teachers, non-remittance of 7.5 per cent counterpart  contributions from councils to the pension funds of the primary  school teachers nationwide and industrial actions.

    Said he: “It is on this premise that we demand that the state, local government joint account be maintained. But if the account must be scrapped, the responsibility for the payment of the salaries of primary school teachers should be transferred to the state government, in conformity with the Supreme Court judgment.”

     

  • Osun NUT faction rejects union’s election

    A faction of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Osun State has rejected the recently conducted election of the union, saying it was illegal and amounts to a contempt of court.

    The election was allegedly conducted regardless of a court injunction obtained by the Parent- Teacher Associations (PTA) and Justice Now Foundation (JNF), restraining the ousted Saka Adesiyan-led union from conducting it.

    A source said the bailiff of the court had gone to serve the leadership of the union with the injunction, but some thugs, allegedly sponsored by the “unity faction” of the union attacked him, torn his cloth and smashed his phone.

    Due to the alleged crisis that heralded the election, the police, the source said, arrested Comrade Lere Olawuyi who was acting as the union’s chairman as at the time of the election and Comrade Wakili Amuda who emerged the new chairman. They were later granted bail.

    The union was reported to have been polarised along “progressive and unity” camps as far back as 2009.

    A leader of one of the progressive faction and a Chairmanship candidate at the election, Comrade Adeyemi Francis said the election was against all the procedure of the union’s constitution in conducting polls.

    He said: “The election was illegal. On November 25, we had an opening session in Ife and expected that the election would be held on  November 26, only to be informed later in the day through a text message that the election would be held by 7:00am same day without taking those living afar into consideration.

    According to him, the election was done without accreditation and all the required procedures, adding that the case filed by JNF and PTA, is still pending in court and would come up tomorrow.

    However, the man at the centre of the controversy, Saka Adesiyan insisted that there is no crisis or polarisation in the NUT, especially in Ile-Ife where the election was held.

    When contacted, Olawuyi also said he would like to reserve his comment on the matter because it is an issue before the court.

  • LG autonomy: NUT threatens nationwide strike

    The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Union of Teachers on Friday threatened to direct its members to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike if the proposed local government autonomy and scrapping of the state joint local government account sail through in the ongoing Constitutional Amendment.

    The National President of NUT, Michael Alogba Olukoya, who briefed journalists at the end of the NEC meeting held at the NUT headquarters, Abuja, insisted that granting of LG autonomy would lead to total collapse of primary education in Nigeria.

    He urged governors of the 36 states of the federation and members of State Houses of Assembly to stoutly resist the draconian recommendation of the National Assembly in the recent proposal, seeking the scrapping of the State Joint LG Accounts as contained in the Bill for an Act to further alter the provision of the 1999 Constitution.

    Olukoya said the implication of the LG autonomy was that payment of teachers’ salaries, pension contributory funds and payment of retirees would be left in the hands of the local councils.

    According to him, the development would be a great setback to efforts by the Federal and state Governments to revamp primary education in the country.

    He said, “The moment the Constitutional Amendment process is concluded against the wishes of the Nigerian teachers, we shall direct all schools in Nigeria to remain closed. The mother of all strikes shall commence, because we have a responsibility to protect and defend our members.”

    The NUT president said it was unfortunate that the children of the poor who are the majority voters have been denied access to quality education while the children of public officials who formulate various policies leading to the decay being experienced today are sent overseas.

    He said the sad memory of the near-total-collapse of primary education between 1990 and 1994, when it came under the control of the LGs, was still very fresh.

     

  • Oyo’s recruitment of 5,300 teachers excites NUT, NPTA

    Oyo’s recruitment of 5,300 teachers excites NUT, NPTA

    The recent recruitment of no fewer than 5,300 teachers into public schools in Oyo State has continued to elicit commendation from the general public for Governor Abiola Ajimobi. TAYO JOHNSON reports

    Following the recruitment of 5,300 teaching and non-teaching staff into public primary and secondary schools in all the 33 local government areas of Oyo State, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the National Parents Teachers Association (NPTA) and other stakeholders in the education sector have lauded Governor Abiola Ajimobi for the initiative.

    Governor Ajimobi recently distributed employment letters to the new teachers charging them to be diligent.

    At a ceremony witnessed by a large crowd of party faithful, professional bodies and members of the public at the popular Mapo Hall, Ibadan, letters of appointment were distributed to those employed from all the 11 local government areas in Ibadanland.

    The remaining letters are scheduled for distribution in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa at later dates.

    Speaking at the occasion, Governor Ajimobi said that the recruitment of 5,300 teachers in one fell swoop by his administration was unprecedented in the history of the state.

    According to him, the exercise was part of government’s efforts to improve the standard of education in the state aside providing job for the teeming unemployed youths.

    The governor, who said that his administration had been doing everything possible to improve the quality of education in the state, stressed that over 31,000 teachers had been sent on various trainings, both locally and internationally, in order to improve their productivity, while a total of 24,000 teachers had been promoted.

    Ajimobi stated that: “Let me specifically congratulate our teachers in Oyo State. I can say it authoritatively that our teachers have never had it so good. They have continued to enjoy salary elongation, while their appointments have been gazetted”

    He also noted that so many schools had been rehabilitated, while six models schools spread across the state were currently under construction.

    Ajimobi commended the cordial relationship between his administration and the teachers, saying that they (teachers) and indeed the entire civil service had not had any cause to go on strike since the inception of his administration.

    In their separate remarks, the Chairmen of SUBEB and TESCOM, Dr. Busari Adebisi and Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi said that the recruitment of the teachers would contribute significantly to the development of education as well as bring joy to the families of the beneficiaries.

    Two of the newly employed teachers, Messrs Tirimisiyu Damilare and Akorede Balkit expressed delight at their appointment, pledging that they would contribute their quota towards attaining the necessary educational standard in the state.

    In his reaction, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, Comrade Kayode Kolawole described the gesture as a welcome idea from the state government, adding that it’s over eight years now that teachers were last employed in the state.

    He said the employment would go a long way to boost the success of the free and compulsory education policy of the State government.

    “So for Governor Ajimobi to employ 5,300 teachers it will improve the standard of education in this state. We have been agitating for additional teachers to be employed, but his predecessors didn’t not do it, but Governor Ajimobi been a listening leader yielded to our plea. Many teachers have retired and their spaces needed to be filled, which is part of what largely affected the education sector in the state, because you will see a teacher handling four or five subjects in a school, but now there will be division of labour in our schools and we are very happy and grateful to the governor on this.” Kolawole explained

    Although Kolawole stated that during the recruitment exercise the union leaders were out of the state for their national delegates conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, he expressed confidence that the new teacher are capable and qualified hands.

    He added that the interview was conducted by Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

    Commending the governor further, the NUT boss listed some of the numerous achievements that the present administration has recorded in the area of teachers’ welfare which includes: prompt payment of teachers’ salary, enhanced salary structure, lifting of the ban of primary school teachers from level 14 to 16, and “our appointment has been gazette”.

    He appealed to the government to further upgrade the physical infrastructures in schoolsý for a conducive learning environment.

    Kolawole further stressed that parents should be allowed to contribute financially to the development of the school, adding that it would assist the government to improve standard of education.

    In a similar view, the Chairman of National Parents Teachers Association (NPTA), Oyo State chapter, Alhaji Abiodun Jimoh ýsaid the recruitment of the new teachers will address the deficit of teachers in the schools and improve learning and teaching of their children.

    “On behalf of our association we appreciate the effort of Governor Ajimobi because he has been performing excellently well in the education sector. It is not easy to revamp this sector that the previous administration in the state had bastardised but we are confident that this present administration will give our children the high quality of education required”, he said

    The NPTA chairman ýurged the government to further equip and upgrade infrastructure in the schools and encourage the teachers with additional remunerations.

    A student of Ikolaba Grammar School, Abass Akinola, who spoke with The Nation, thanked the state governor for increasing the number of their teachers, adding that it will further reduce the workload on their teachers and give them conducive studying style.

  • NUT, Jang-led NGF oppose local govt autonomy

    NUT, Jang-led NGF oppose local govt autonomy

    The national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has vowed to resist the National Assembly for granting autonomy to local governments.

    The Jonah Jang-led Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) also opposed the National Assembly’s approval of the autonomy.

    A joint statement yesterday in Abuja by NUT National President Michael Olukoya and General Secretary Obong Ikpe Obong, reads: “NUT wishes to express in strong terms the resentment of Nigerian teachers on the position of the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendment granting autonomy to local governments without factoring the position of the NUT on which arm of government is responsible for funding and management of primary education in Nigeria, considering that the financial allocation to each local government, as it stands today, cannot sufficiently fund primary education and other demands of such councils.

    “Much as the NUT is not opposed to the autonomy of local governments, the resolve of Nigerian teachers not to once again have the payment of their salaries and management of primary education left in the hands of the authorities local governments remain unchanged and will be strongly resisted.

    “Similarly, the committee’s insistence to move the matter of minimum wage from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List is another calculated attempt to cause avoidable industrial crisis in the nation’s polity.

    “We wish to remind the committee that salaries of political office holders, as fixed by the National Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, do not factor the financial strength of the particular state, which such political office holders are elected or appointed to represent. It is, therefore, hypocritical to remove the wage of public servants from the Exclusive Legislative List of the constitution.

    “The deregulation of the wage of the public servants, with regulation of the perquisite of political office holders, is unthinkable and smacks of double standard. It is self-serving and will, therefore, be rejected by the working class in all democratic tradition.

    “The legislation and executive policies are expected to derive and serve the interest of the greater majority. In this exercise, the National Assembly has only served the interest of the political class, throwing into the abyss the interest of the common man and working class, which constitutes the majority of Nigeria.

    “The essence of a constitutional amendment is to right the wrong and address matters of injustice, and not to cause further disaffection, dislocation and avoidable chaos in the system. These misguided judgments of the committee must be reverted forthwith in the interest of industrial peace in the nation’s school system.

    “Nigeria teachers are keenly watching, especially now that the 2015 general elections are by the corner.”

    In a statement last night in Abuja by its Secretary, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, the Jang-led governors’ forum noted that the National Assembly used the conference committee to force the amendment on the local government.

    The forum recalled that it was rejected by the Senate during the constitution amendment debates and when the matter was put to votes.

    The NGF said it was improper for the conference committee to overturn the position of the majority in the Senate on the matter.

    It described the agitation for local government autonomy “as hasty without first considering the problems of executive recklessness and ineffective administration at the local level”.

    The governors warned that the amendment would lead to the hijack of some local governments’ administrative structures by a few powerful individuals when state governments are eliminated from performing such functions.

    But the Jang-led NGF was confident that the amendment would be rejected by several Houses of Assembly.

  • Ebola: Bayelsa, NUT disagree on resumption date

    •Kebbi schools shut indefinitely

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Bayelsa State chapter, has said its members will not resume until the conditions to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) were met by the government.

    The umbrella body of teachers said its members must be trained and sensitised on EVD before returning on September 29, as announced by the government.

    The Chairman of the union, Mr. Ogola Brandla, noted that members were still waiting to participate in the training designed to equip them with the knowledge to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

    He said the training of teachers was the only way to protect schools from EVD, adding that they would remain shut until the training was done.

    Brandla said teachers were stakeholders in the education sector. “The decision was taken because of the concern for the sector’s growth.”

    The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Salo Adikumo, insisted that schools would resume on September 29.

    He said government had trained enough anti-Ebola personnel to be deployed in  schools.

    His words: “We have trained people and have put in place a lot of things to prevent Ebola.

    “Why must it be teachers? The important thing is that people have been trained. It must not be teachers. The people we trained are human beings. We used the Ministry of Health workers to conduct the exercise.”

    Some private schools in Yenagoa, the state capital, defied the directives and resumed on Monday.

    But some parents said they would not release their children until government declared the environment safe.

    One of the parents, who identified himself as Okoro, said: “It is very bad that some schools opened even when the government is cautious. I think they should be sanctioned. They are after profit, forgetting that children’s lives are involved.

    “I will not allow my children to go to school until government announces resumption date, because it must have a reason for saying schools should remain closed.”

    Kebbi State chapter of the NUT directed its members to stay at home until further notice.

    In a communiqué by the Chairman, Mohammed Sanusi Umar and Secretary, Adamu Ayuba Kaltungo, at the end of its meeting at the Teachers House in Birnin-Kebbi, the union said government had not put in place measures to prevent the spread of EVD.

    According to the statement, teachers must be trained to handle a possible epidemic “and preventive gadgets, such as hand gloves, sanitisers, infra-red thermometers, soaps, among others, must be provided in schools.”