News
Kaduna: About 300 Teachers Have Not Received Their Salary – NUT Chairman
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Chikun LGA of Kaduna state, Comrade Syrus Hassan said about 300 of their members have not been paid salary for several Months.
He disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at a ‘ One Day Conference tagged:” Dignity of a Teacher 2023″, organised by Uncle Focus Educational Consult and General Contract Ltd, on Friday in Kaduna.
Comrade Hassan further decried that teachers are still lacking behind in terms of welfare, adding that some of their members have not been getting any benefits and incentives like leave grants for Months.
He said government has tried it best in educating teachers by making it important for them to improve their knowledge and attend workshops, there was need for them to be paid their wages.
“The conference was educative and will add value, dignity and respect to teachers who found their way to the conference, adding It was to enlighten and update their knowledge on modern technics.
“The government has tried it best in educating teachers for making it important for them to see the need to improve knowledge and attend workshops.
“Actually, to say the truth, teachers are still lacking behind in terms of welfare. We want to thank them, but up til now there are teachers that are still not getting one or two benefits and incentives like leave grants for years but we know that it cannot go round.
“We’ve been pressing on to see that the teachers are paid but uptill now we still have a number of them that have not been paid for several months.
“Unpaid teachers are up to about 300”, he lamented, calling on government to pay the wages of teachers who are owed salary arrears, blaming some on bureaucratic bottleneck and long process procedures as been responsible for the delay.
“Some of the old teachers are having certificate saga. It was realised that their certificate had issues. Some have been cleared and approvals given to be paid, but till now not paid. Non teaching staffs like Security, Nanny amongst others, regular employees, have also not been paid for almost two years now.
Also speaking, the lead consultant and Co-founder of Uncle Focus Educational Consult and General Contract Limited, Ziniyet Godwin Hillary, said they’re NGO working around education sector with vision to make education in Kaduna, Nigeria, African and the world more efficient
“We’re working around education and everything about it. We have the vision of making education both in Kaduna state, Nigeria, Africa and the world, more efficient.
“We add innovation to education, to support schools, individuals, school owners, teachers and children to make education more efficient and better.
“The Conference was inspired by the various engagement had with teachers in 2022. We are engaging 2,000 teachers across the 23 Local Government Areas both public and private schools including outside Kaduna state,” He said.
He explained that their organisation realised there’s uniformity in their cries as teachers, and it boils down to how their dignity as teachers has been trampled upon. They are the light and conscience of our society.
“We need to carry teachers on our soldiers. They’re our heroes. We need to respect them. This conference is bringing in teachers from both public and private schools to talk and discuss on issued affecting or bordering them.
“Making class rooms engagement, teaching and learning easier and better. Topics featuring in the conference includes the role of teachers in nation building, civic participation, dignity and how teachers can leverage on technology to make their work more effective and easier”, he said.
He noted that most Nigerian teachers are behind in education tech. “So we bring them together to sensitize them on these purpose, the consciousness that they need to meet up with rest of the world in education technology.
“We’re covering all the 23 LGA in Kaduna and all states in Nigeria. Life of teachers in Kaduna are not where it suppose to be yet.
“My late mother was a teacher. Four years after her death we have not been able to access her death benefits. So imagine what’ll happen to us if we’re not working. Government and NGOs and others need to push for better life for the teachers, he advised.
Mrs. Sara Atu .N, the acting education secretary chikun LGA, also said in an interview that stressed the important of involving their teachers with a view to upgrading their dignity
“I saw the need to involve my teachers because it has to do with upgrading the dignity of them. The teachers need to know that they should also promote their own dignity, not waiting for government alone all the times or any other body to promote their dignity.
“The conference came at the right time we are. The participants are expected to be 2000 but because of the crisis of cash and transport we’ve over 300 here. Primary schools teachers, and that of senior and junior secondary schools.
“Teaching as a profession has value and we bring them here to added value to it, only from Chikun LGA participating now.”, she said.
The Anambra Government has imposed a one-month sanction on Blossom Fount School, Awka, for allegedly selling the position of head prefect during a student election.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh.
According to the commissioner, the school reportedly demanded N5,000 from each pupil aspiring to become head prefect in the primary section.
Chuma-Udeh condemned the act, describing it as an attempt to “sell the psyche of the children to the highest bidder from the cradle.”
According to her, such practices are unacceptable under the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo.
She said that an investigation was ongoing to examine the school’s broader management practices, with the possibility of further actions based on the findings.
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the arrest and continued detention of former House of Representatives member, Muhammad Kazaure, describing it as a violation of due process.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Atiku said Kazaure’s detention reflects a brazen disregard for the rule of law, accusing the anti-graft agency of operating beyond the limits of the Nigerian Constitution.
Atiku alleged that the EFCC is increasingly becoming a tool for political repression, citing what he called a troubling pattern of lawlessness under the current administration.
He said, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has once again plunged headlong into its well-worn pattern of lawlessness, arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions.”
Atiku also referenced the recent arrest of social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, whose release followed intense public pressure. He suggested that Kazaure’s case fits into a broader trend of state institutions being used to silence dissenting voices.
“We witnessed this same abuse in the unlawful arrest and detention of Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, whose release was only secured after massive public outrage and pressure.
“Now, the EFCC has targeted Hon. Muhammad Kazaure, a former member of the House of Representatives and an unapologetic critic of the gross misgovernance and failings of the Tinubu administration.
“Abducted in Kano and whisked away to Abuja, Kazaure is presently being held incommunicado, with no formal charge or explanation offered to his family, legal team, or the Nigerian people.
“Let it be stated without equivocation: even if there were legitimate grounds for arresting any citizen, such action must adhere strictly to the rule of law. The EFCC is duty-bound to publicly disclose the reasons for any arrest and must not detain individuals indefinitely under the guise of investigation.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unequivocal on this matter—every detainee must be promptly charged to court or released. By once again trampling on the fundamental rights of a Nigerian citizen, the EFCC is entrenching itself deeper into the mire of impunity and constitutional delinquency.
“It’s deafening silence regarding the arrest of Hon. Kazaure, a man who represented the good people of Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi federal constituency, lays bare the agency’s contempt for transparency and justice.
Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has ignited social media buzz after posting a 15-second TikTok video set to the trending song Omo Ologo — a track closely linked with President Bola Tinubu.
The video, shared on her TikTok page on May 8, shows the embattled lawmaker smiling and playfully interacting with the camera. Captioned, “Just for fun, song choked,” the post has drawn mixed reactions online, with some interpreting it as a light-hearted moment, while others suspect a deeper political undertone.
The video comes just days after the song Omo Ologo was performed live by Kano-based singer Dauda Kahutu Rarara during a dinner in Katsina State held in honour of President Tinubu, who was on a two-day working visit to assess security in the region.
The song, which blends Hausa and Yoruba, praises Tinubu as a victorious leader who has outlasted his critics.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s TikTok post follows a series of dramatic exchanges between her and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The senator was suspended from the upper legislative chamber in March after accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment — an allegation that triggered heated debate in the National Assembly.
In what appeared to be a bold response to her suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan recently posted a sarcastic apology video to Akpabio on Facebook, in which she claimed she was sorry “for the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect.”
The post was accompanied by a short video, further fueling controversy.
Akpabio’s legal team has since approached a federal high court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the senator to delete the post from her social media pages.
In a counter-affidavit filed by her lawyer, Jubril Okutepa (SAN), Akpoti-Uduaghan’s camp described the motion as an attempt to silence and intimidate her.
The court is expected to rule on the matter on May 12.