Kaduna State wing of Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has raised alarm over attempt by the state government to allegedly frustrate the Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining it from dismissing or disengaging any teacher in public schools, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Governor El-Rufai, had on a radio programme aired on the State media outfit (KSMC), Saturday, posited that the Court was wrong in granting the purported interlocutory order, on the ground that the teachers who failed the competency test have already been disengaged.
The state chairman, Comrade Audu T. Amba, in a press briefing in Kaduna said that the Kaduna State government was making frantic efforts to frustrate the outcome of the suit in Court, by directing the Education Secretaries in all the local government areas to come over to SUBEB and collect backdated letters of disengagement to be served to teachers.
He said: “Our attention have also been drawn to the fact that the Kaduna State government, despite the service of the order of interlocutory injunction on it, is now making frantic and desperate efforts to frustrate the outcome of the suit in Court by directing the Education Secretaries in all the local government areas to come over to SUBEB and collect backed dated letters of disengagement from service for onward distribution to teachers in their local governments.
“The purpose of this press conference is to draw the attention of all peace loving Nigerians to this apparent show of shame.
“You are all now familiar with the state of affairs as it relates to the competency test conducted by the Kaduna State government for the Teachers in the public primary schools of Kaduna State and the subsequent threats by the state government to use the disputed outcome thereof to disengage 21,780 teachers from service.
“The above development culminated in the NUT, as a last resort, going to court as the last hope of the common man, and the bastion of our democracy, to seek redress vide suit No.NICN/KD/53/2017 now pending before the National Industrial Court, Kaduna Division”.
Amba added: “The Honourable Court in its wisdom upon contested facts on the 14” day of December, 2017 granted an injunction restraining the Kaduna State government from dismissing/disengaging any teacher in the public schools of the Kaduna State pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
“The order of Court above, was duly served on the Governor of Kaduna State and the Attorney-General of Kaduna State.
“However, to our greatest surprise and disbelief, and contrary to the later and spirit of the principle of rule of law which inter-alia entails the supremacy of the law and separation of power, the Governor of Kaduna State on a radio programme aired on the State media outfit (KSMC), posited that the Court was wrong in granting the interlocutory order purportedly on the ground that the teachers who failed the competency test have already been disengaged, a fact which was not before the Court, and whose factual basis does not exist, as up to now no teacher in Kaduna State have been served any letter of dismissal/disengagement from service.
“We were appalled/taken aback by the pronouncement of the governor as aforesaid. Our believe is that the accepted norm in all civilized societies is for the Kaduna State government to appeal against the decision of the National Industrial Court instead of resorting to an unfounded criticism of same.”
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