by Azeez Adeniyi

The Nigeria Union of Teachers on Wednesday said about 28 states were owing backlog of salaries.

The NUT President, Michael Olukoya, said this in Abuja during a workshop.

Olukoya said teachers in the country were faced by challenges, including Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

He warned that the union would also resist the attempttempt to hand over primary education to Local Government Area Authority in the country.

Olukoya said, “The economic recession has worsened the situation of teachers with many teachers being owed by state governments. As I speak, about 28 states are owing our teachers. The commercialisation and privatisation of education in Nigeria should be condemned. The policy has left education in the hands of private proprietors of schools who charge outrageous school fees in the bid to make profit.

“We also appeal to the Federal Government not to contemplate handing over primary education to local government councils under the guise of local government autonomy. If we attempt to put primary education under the purview of local government administration, we shall be going back to the analogue age. We will not allow that to happen.

“Education should be seen as a right enshrined in our constitution. We are not against local government autonomy, but if they say primary education should go to the local governments, it will lead to another slavery. We will be breeding more illiterates than literates.”

Azeez