Kwara Teachers protest salary backlog in Ilorin

By Mumini AbdulKareem

Teachers of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB),
yesterday, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital marched to the Kwara
State House of Assembly to protest their unpaid salary and pensions.
The affected workers under the aegis of Kwara Concerned Teachers
displayed various placards at the front of the Assembly Complex with
different inscription to express the concern over the issue.
Some of the placards read; “KWSG should work on refunding June 2016
cooperative deduction”, “KWSG should pay SUBEB 3 months, 58% salary
arrears”, “implement SUBEB promotion from 2016 till date” among
others.
It was gathered that the demonstrators left the complex after being
informed that the lawmakers had adjourned sitting till next Tuesday.
The affected teachers also held similar protest during the tenure of
the last administration.
Speaking on the protest, spokesperson of the embattled teachers,
Comrade AbdulWahab Abubakar while calling on Governor Abdulrahman
Abdulrazaq to come to their plight, alleged of plans to use sack
threats to intimidate them. Abubakar added that he has been invited by
the Department of State Security Service (DSS).
“Having taken such step, it is as if the government is trying to
intimidate us with threats of sack for asking for our right and that
we don’t have any need to talk. But we are in a democracy and
everybody has the right to air their grievances.
“We were being threatened especially those at the SUBEB, The DSS
invited me and while I was on my way to their office, the Permanent
Secretary of SUBEB, Mr Bayo Onimago invited me demanding that I should
supply the names of those we are in this struggle together. Is it a
crime to ask for our right? But I will not implicate anybody and
whatever they want to do, I know Almighty Allah who created all of us
is ever living and will judge everyone of us and posterity will also
judge us. Is it a crime to fight for our right? The Governor should
please come to our aide”.
He added that, “We appreciate Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for
ensuring payment of our salaries 25th of every month, counterparts
fund for UBEC and the restoration of running cost to government
parastatals and agencies. He has done well in this regard and the
abolishment of percentage payment.
“But that notwithstanding, during the election, the All Progressives
Congress (APC) promised to pay us our outstanding arrears immediately
they get there and we are almost at the sixth month of their
resumption. We are now using this medium to implore the Governor,
Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to please personalise our pay and
prioritise our problems especially in the area of backlog.
“The situation is not palatable for us coupled with the recent
skyrocketed prices of food and other essential materials. Before now,
we have approached the ninth House of Assembly and the lawmakers have
been very accessible and accommodating. They took a very good step by
inviting the Nigeria Teachers Union of Teachers (NUT) which I believe
is a step in the right direction. But since our visitation to the
legislature, we are yet to get any positive response and we will
continue to appeal to the governor to please see to the plight of
Kwara SUBEB teachers. The retired teachers are not equally finding it
easy”, he added.
Comrade Abubakar also praised the present Chairman of the NUT in the
state, Comrade Oloruntoyin Idris Saliu who he described as very
vibrant, visionary, selfless and not partisan since he came on board.
He said the Governor is known to be non partisan and he should give
the NUT a chance for a round table discussion adding that backlog now
runs into three months and 58th per cent while most teachers now
survive on bank loans.
On the DSS invitation, Abubakar said he was told to write a letter and
copy other security agencies. He also said the DSS promised that they
are there to assist the citizen to achieve their aims.
Several calls to the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Bayo Onimago was not
answered on Wednesday. Similarly, response to a text message sent to
him over the development was still being awaited before this paper
went to bed, last night.
But in a telephone chat with the NUT Chairman last night, Comrade
Saliu dissociated the NUT from anybody who embarks on a protest.
“For all our grievances, we write letter and meet with the government.
If we have complaints and the government did not yield, strike is our
major option, we don’t normally demonstrate,” he submitted.