[Nigeria] Niger State schools shut this term as teachers remain home over unpaid salaries

Public primary school teachers and their pupils in Niger State have spent this entire term at home following the “sit-at-home” directive by the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Daily Trust reports.

The strike began on January 10 over a lower percentage of pay that commenced in April 2021. It was declared by teachers to put pressure on the government to stop the percentage salary payment. Nine weeks on it has yet to yield positive results.

Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed - the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Chairman - said the strike action was declared after a series of ultimatums were given to the state government.

While pupils in private schools prepare for the second term examination, their counterparts in public primary schools are at home and many are not engaged in meaningful activities.

The Chairman Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Isah Adamu, has yet to respond to the Daily Trust’s requests for comment.

Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed said there was yet to be any success in their discussions with the state government.

“There is no success. The government is not ready yet. It is what we have been discussing but the deliberation will continue,” he said.

He said while there were many issues that have triggered the teachers’ strike, the major issue was the percentage salary payment.

Comrade Mohammed said the strike would continue unless the government stopped the percentage salary payment to teachers.

“They know where the problem is. The strike depends on when the government responds. The response from the government would determine when the strike will end,” he said.

Mohammed Aliyu - one of the teachers in Gbako Local Government Area of the state - said the problem of percentage salary payment to primary school teachers in the state dates back to April 2021.

“Gbako Local government was paying 80 percent. Those on level 7 receive 25,000 while those on level 12 receive between 39,000 and 40,000.

“The children are at home doing nothing. While private schools in the state are preparing for the second term examination, pupils of public primary schools have been at home since resumption of the term. The strike had forced the pupils in urban areas into illegal activities. Some of them who have engaged in excavation in the waste bins now indulge in stealing useful materials and sell to make money. If some of them leave home in the morning, parents don’t see them until they return in the evening,” Mr Aliyu said.

One parent, Ahmed Mohammed, said, “I feel bad about this strike. The Niger State government doesn’t have good intentions for the poor even though they were voted by the poor. They are just treating the poor the way they like.”

Mr Mohammed said he would have removed his children from public primary school and enrolled them in a private school if he had the means.

“Our children have been at home since the resumption of second term and Niger State is not doing anything about it. While private schools are moving on with their education, the pupils in public primary schools have been at home for the whole term. These children that have been neglected today would surely become a problem for our society tomorrow. The poor people are suffering and the government doesn’t care.”

Mr Mohammed said he had managed to get his children a tutor to whom he paid a token amount to take them through some lessons.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to Daily Trust, a government official familiar with the development, said that the percentage salary payment to teachers in primary school was caused by the partial autonomy granted to the local governments by the current administration in the state.

“That is why you can see the changes in the salaries. Some local governments pay 30 per cent, some pay 36, 40, 60, 80 and some even 100 per cent. So, it is not centrally determined. It depends on the strength of each local government and it varies according to the way they have their allocation.

“But despite an order by the State House Assembly, directing the Executive arm to reverse to the Joint Account policy, the state government seemed to have remained adamant.”

The State Assembly recently called on the executive arm to proscribe the partial autonomy granted to the local government councils.

The call followed the inability of some local governments to pay full salaries to workers since the implementation of the partial autonomy.

The call by the Assembly reportedly followed a motion of public importance moved by the member representing Bida South, Haruna Dokodza, who argued that the partial autonomy implemented by the executive arm had caused more harm to the administration of the third tiers of the government and should be cancelled.

“As at July 2021, only 13 local councils were able to pay 100 per cent of the staff salaries. In August 2021, 15 local government councils met up with 100 per cent payment of staff salaries,” he said.

The lawmaker lamented that the staff of the Local Education Authorities were no longer motivated to work, pointing out that “you can imagine what life is for a teacher who was receiving N30, 000 and now collecting N17, 000. That is if he has no commitment with his bank.”

Contributing to the debate, the member representing Bosso, Malik Madaki, maintained that the action of the state government in implementing partial autonomy was unconstitutional, and wondered how workers at the local government level were expected to cope with the hard economic realities with meagre or no wages after serving their local councils.

“It is either you go into autonomy or you don’t operate autonomy. In the Local Government Law, there is no section of the law that specifies anything like partial autonomy. And in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, there is nothing like partial autonomy,” he said.

The Labour Congress said that, as of February 2022, the Ministry for Local Government should abide by the State Joint Local Government Accounts Laws (Section 3 of the Principal Law as Amended February 2001) with regard to the payment of salaries while the payment of salaries across the 25 LGAS in Niger State should be made a priority.

Source: Daily Trust

(Quotes via original reporting)

Public primary school teachers and their pupils in Niger State have spent this entire term at home following the “sit-at-home” directive by the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Daily Trust reports.

The strike began on January 10 over a lower percentage of pay that commenced in April 2021. It was declared by teachers to put pressure on the government to stop the percentage salary payment. Nine weeks on it has yet to yield positive results.

Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed - the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Chairman - said the strike action was declared after a series of ultimatums were given to the state government.

While pupils in private schools prepare for the second term examination, their counterparts in public primary schools are at home and many are not engaged in meaningful activities.

The Chairman Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Isah Adamu, has yet to respond to the Daily Trust’s requests for comment.

Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed said there was yet to be any success in their discussions with the state government.

“There is no success. The government is not ready yet. It is what we have been discussing but the deliberation will continue,” he said.

He said while there were many issues that have triggered the teachers’ strike, the major issue was the percentage salary payment.

Comrade Mohammed said the strike would continue unless the government stopped the percentage salary payment to teachers.

“They know where the problem is. The strike depends on when the government responds. The response from the government would determine when the strike will end,” he said.

Mohammed Aliyu - one of the teachers in Gbako Local Government Area of the state - said the problem of percentage salary payment to primary school teachers in the state dates back to April 2021.

“Gbako Local government was paying 80 percent. Those on level 7 receive 25,000 while those on level 12 receive between 39,000 and 40,000.

“The children are at home doing nothing. While private schools in the state are preparing for the second term examination, pupils of public primary schools have been at home since resumption of the term. The strike had forced the pupils in urban areas into illegal activities. Some of them who have engaged in excavation in the waste bins now indulge in stealing useful materials and sell to make money. If some of them leave home in the morning, parents don’t see them until they return in the evening,” Mr Aliyu said.

One parent, Ahmed Mohammed, said, “I feel bad about this strike. The Niger State government doesn’t have good intentions for the poor even though they were voted by the poor. They are just treating the poor the way they like.”

Mr Mohammed said he would have removed his children from public primary school and enrolled them in a private school if he had the means.

“Our children have been at home since the resumption of second term and Niger State is not doing anything about it. While private schools are moving on with their education, the pupils in public primary schools have been at home for the whole term. These children that have been neglected today would surely become a problem for our society tomorrow. The poor people are suffering and the government doesn’t care.”

Mr Mohammed said he had managed to get his children a tutor to whom he paid a token amount to take them through some lessons.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to Daily Trust, a government official familiar with the development, said that the percentage salary payment to teachers in primary school was caused by the partial autonomy granted to the local governments by the current administration in the state.

“That is why you can see the changes in the salaries. Some local governments pay 30 per cent, some pay 36, 40, 60, 80 and some even 100 per cent. So, it is not centrally determined. It depends on the strength of each local government and it varies according to the way they have their allocation.

“But despite an order by the State House Assembly, directing the Executive arm to reverse to the Joint Account policy, the state government seemed to have remained adamant.”

The State Assembly recently called on the executive arm to proscribe the partial autonomy granted to the local government councils.

The call followed the inability of some local governments to pay full salaries to workers since the implementation of the partial autonomy.

The call by the Assembly reportedly followed a motion of public importance moved by the member representing Bida South, Haruna Dokodza, who argued that the partial autonomy implemented by the executive arm had caused more harm to the administration of the third tiers of the government and should be cancelled.

“As at July 2021, only 13 local councils were able to pay 100 per cent of the staff salaries. In August 2021, 15 local government councils met up with 100 per cent payment of staff salaries,” he said.

The lawmaker lamented that the staff of the Local Education Authorities were no longer motivated to work, pointing out that “you can imagine what life is for a teacher who was receiving N30, 000 and now collecting N17, 000. That is if he has no commitment with his bank.”

Contributing to the debate, the member representing Bosso, Malik Madaki, maintained that the action of the state government in implementing partial autonomy was unconstitutional, and wondered how workers at the local government level were expected to cope with the hard economic realities with meagre or no wages after serving their local councils.

“It is either you go into autonomy or you don’t operate autonomy. In the Local Government Law, there is no section of the law that specifies anything like partial autonomy. And in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, there is nothing like partial autonomy,” he said.

The Labour Congress said that, as of February 2022, the Ministry for Local Government should abide by the State Joint Local Government Accounts Laws (Section 3 of the Principal Law as Amended February 2001) with regard to the payment of salaries while the payment of salaries across the 25 LGAS in Niger State should be made a priority.

Source: Daily Trust

(Quotes via original reporting)