The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, has kick against handing over of teachers salaries payments to the Local Government Council under the planned autonomy for local government.

The union, on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Lagos during the National Assembly Joint Working Retreat on the Review of the 1999 constitution ongoing at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos.

The NUT National President, Micheal Alogba Olukoya, who spoke to newsmen said the union is against having primary education under local government authorities, as it has shown to work against primary education development.

According to him, “We are here to tell our lawmakers that primary school education should be giving a separate entity instead of putting them under the planned local government autonomy. We are here to say to autonomy if primary education will be put under local government. We are not against local government autonomy, but because of the fact that when primary education was under local government, it was not in a good state and we don’t want a repeat of that. We are here to intimate our lawmakers, that we want a reincarnation of national primary education commission” he said.

“Where that would not be let primary education be put under the state, we don’t the local government as we have had a lot of arguments and today is not a continuity of that, we just want to let them know that they are at the instance of the Nigerian people and if democracy is called a government of the people, we need let them know that they being here is hear the yearnings of the Nigerian people and we are saying no to primary education under the local government”.

The Lagos NUT President, Comrade Raheem Adesegun Abdulganiu, said the local government would only take primary education backward if placed under it.

According to him, “We are here to sensitize our lawmakers about this issue as we don’t want them to make Laws that won’t be accepted by the public and it is in relation to the autonomy of the local government, which we are not against but what we are saying is that salaries and allowances of teachers should be removed from the federal allocation getting to the Local Government from the federal government if the LGA will be granted. We have giving options, it is either we are giving to the Federal Government or the State government. We have witnessed the three scenarios before and when the primary education was with the local government, we knew what was going on then as the local government was the worst in terms of handling the primary school education.

“What we are saying is that salaries and allowances of workers, should be taken away from the local government. It is fact that local government as a tier of government cannot recruit workers above grade level six and the entry point for any teacher, is Nigeria certificate in education which is grade level seven and the implications of that is that no local government can employ any teacher. If government insist on it, we will make the process ungovernable for them, we will stand against it as it is anti-teacher and anti-people. What we are saying let autonomy be granted and salaries of teachers be removed. If it is removed as I see nothing wrong in that as it is a percent of their allocation and if removed should be taken to State or the federal government accounts” he added.

MWUN urge Government to set up Primary Health Commission

Meanwhile the National Vice President of Medical and Health Workers Union, Femi Adebisi, also present at the protest in a chat with newsmen said government should set up a primary health commission.

According to him, “If you look at the health system in Nigeria, you will notice that the teaching hospital are not everywhere or even State hospitals everywhere not to talk of general hospitals, but there is no village in Nigeria you don’t have a primary health center. So what we are saying is that, if there is going to be a local government autonomy we want a perfect health system at the grassroots whereby an average Nigeria can have access to primary health center” he said.

“What we are canvassing for is there to be a National primary health development agency, where primary health clinics will be operating from and should make the funding a first line charge for it”.

Responding to the protesting unions, Ahmed Lawan, majority leader at the at the Senate said their demands would be looked into.

According to him, “Primary education is very fundamental. So we understand what you are saying and understand your plight. And for your recommendations, we at the National Assembly are already looking at your request and I would urge you to continue to engage us and continue to tell us what you want” he said.

“I want to assure you that this national assembly is a responsible one and is always ready to listen to every Nigerians particular those at the production sector and you are indeed nation builders. So we are here to listen to you and convey your feelings and request and demands to our colleagues and leaders in this hall”.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fks_3CLk5H8

http://thebelltimes.com/video-nut-kick-funding-primary-education-local-government-council/