by Akintomiwa Agbaje
Kings College
Teachers under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, disrupted the ongoing first term examination at the Federal Unity Schools nationwide as they commenced a nationwide four-day warning strike over their unpaid arrears, which includes promotion allowance.
The striking teachers claimed that members promoted had been receiving salaries below their levels since then and also said the arrears had accumulated since 2007. Their accusations also included officers of the Federal Ministry of Education embezzling money meant to be paid to them.
Most schools in the southwest had complied with the directive to commence the strike. Lagos, Osun and Ogun States were the main proponents, as students were not allowed to continue with their examinations yesterday.
Leadership reports:
According to the Chairman of the association in Osun State, Mr. Adebajo, who works at the National Bureau of Statistics, the association had backed the teachers to embark on the strike because other ministries had fully paid the arrears except the education ministry.
Adebajo said the strike was very effective at the three colleges in the state located in Ilesa, Ikirun and Ipetumodu.
At the Federal Government College, Ikirun, Osun State, a staunch member of the association who preferred anonymity, said the strike was effective and that if government refused to meet their demands at the expiration of the warning strike on Friday, then it would embark on indefinite one.
“We are aware that the office of the Accountant-general of the Federation had released the money to the ministry of education but that the directors had embezzled it, and we have kept discussing the
matter without no headway. It is just unfortunate because we are no slaves,” the source explained.
However, investigation revealed that the Federal Science and Technical College, FSTC, Yaba, Lagos, did not join the strike as at yesterday. Leadership learnt that the school continued with its examination hoping to move on today. The development according to a member of the association was due to the fact that the school has no teachers’ union.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the Ministry of Education proved abortive as the telephone line of the Media Assistant to the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, Simeon Nwakaudu, was not available.
