As the world celebrated Labor Day, Nigeria’s capital city Abuja became the arena for the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), as they called on every tier of their government in an attempt to ensure allocation of 26 per cent annual budget to education.
NUT is blaming the longstanding problems of the nation’s education sector on years of neglect and poor funding. Determined to succeed, the union has testified the imperative nature of the issue. They have asked for all the three tiers of government in Nigeria to begin the implementation of United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO’s recommendation of 26 per cent budget to education.
NUT President and comrade Michael Alogba Olukoya, said there would be no going back on the proposed strike declared in 18 States of the federation on the non-implementation of the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Enhanced Salary and N18, 000 minimum wage. The effective date for the strike remains June 1, listing affected states to include Benue, Cross River, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Nassarawa, Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba, Borno, Kogi, Niger and Sokoto.
In order to highlight the issue further, he stated his continuous disappointment that education did not always command the priority attention it deserves by decades of Nigerian leaders. On top of this, he stated that the constant flimsy nature of policy promises were severely damaging the nations chances of progression.
He said: “Various governments have not taken education very serious. It has been a sort of policy summersault. Today is 6-5-4; tomorrow 6-3-3-4; day after, talking of scrapping of UTME and so and so forth. For me education should be seen as a vehicle of survival.”
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