NUT/NLC PROTEST SACK OF TEACHERS IN KADUNA
The NLC/NUT protest rally is coming on the heels of a recent ban by the Kaduna state government banning all such gatherings in the state for the purpose of maintaining the peace and tranquil.
On Tuesday, thousands of workers converged to protests the sack of their colleagues in the state civil service even as the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba in his speech stated that, "the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has embarked on the protest against the sack of 30,000 workers/teachers in kaduna by the state government".
Wabba, while addressing the workers, said; "the next time we are coming here, we want every worker to be ready with their mats and pillows and with their Wards and dependants as we will march with our children to the Government House since the governor wants to deprive them of their means of livelihood".
"Being a worker is not being a slave. Workers have rights. What is happening here is an aberation. It is inhuman that a political office holder should treat his people this way".
"For any political office holder to treat people this way, is an act of humanity. This is against the principle of fair hearing and it is also against the principle of respecting human rights", Wabba said.
The NLC leader declared that; "We fought for democracy and for the people who preach development, there is no way you can develop a state without human development".
"This action is a threat to democracy as any act that would push 30,000 workers out of their jobs is a threat to democracy", Wabba said.
"We are aware that people do not share the same ideology but, hiding under the shadow of the President,is unacceptable. Mr. President should take cognizance of such people", the NLC boss stressed.
Available reports revealed that among the lists of "teachers/workers compiled, deceased and retired teachers, messengers and security personnel were listed among “teachers” that passed the test conducted for primary school teachers in Kaduna State".
NUT Chairman in Zaria Local Government Area, Malam Yahaya Abbas on Tuesday while reacting to a mass protest by primary school pupils in Sabon-Gari disclosed that the pupils were protesting against the sack of 21,000 teachers said to have scored less than 75 per cent in a test set for them.
“The result of the examination showed that only three or four teachers passed in many schools".
“In some schools, retired teachers and teachers that died a long time ago were among those that passed".
“The list of successful teachers sent to some schools also included names of their messengers and security personnel,” Malam Abbas alleged.
The NUT chairman alleged that names of senior staff, especially those on level 14 and above, were absent from among those that passed, raising the suspicion that government was only out to sack them so as to reduce cost.
Malam Rabi'u Usman, NUT Chairman, Sabon Gari Local Government, in his own reaction described the action of the pupils as their “personal opinionwhich was not influenced by anybody”.
The children’s action was “a right step in the right direction” even as he called on
government to “do something urgently to save the situation”.
The Sabon Gari NUT chairman said that the union was not opposed to the examination, but was against the pass mark of 75 per cent, saying that there was no examination with such a high pass mark.
Usman appealed to government to rescind its decision to sack the teachers before the expiration of the union’s ultimatum, or face the consequences.
Reports available revealed that the primary school pupils had taken to Zaria streets to protest the sack of their teachers as they vowed to resist the action by the Kaduna Government. The pupils, who marched into all routes in the city, carried leaves and posters of Gov. Nasiru el- Rufa’i with inscriptions of “ba ma so” (we do not want this), written under it.
The pupils appealed to the Kaduna State Government to reverse the decision in the interest of quality education in the state.
Spokesman to the state Governor, Samuel Aruwan while eacting to the protest, accused teachers of “endangering” the lives of the poor children by throwing them into the streets.
Aruwan, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, ina statement issued, warned that the state government would not accept such child abuse by teachers that had failed a simple test and were not qualified to teach.
"Government’s action was in the best interest of the education sector, as quality teachers were being recruited to shore up the fortunes of the sector".
(NAN)
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