Some state governments which had yet to pay salaries of primary school teachers running into months had attributed the situation to dwindling allocation from the Federal Government.
A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) found that teachers in Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and some other states suffered untold hardships due to non-payment of their salaries, which their state governments attributed to reduced allocation from the federation account.
In Kwara, where primary school teachers were owed four months’ salary arrears, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed, Dr Muyideen Akorede, said “falling allocation had made it impossible for the administration to meet its obligations to the people.’’
He said the state government could not pay teachers because of dwindling allocation from the federation account.
Akorede said there was a significant drop in federal allocation to Kwara in May, adding that the state suffered a shortfall amounting to N2.8 billion.
He added that the state government used to augment teachers’ salaries with N200 million monthly in the last one year “but with the drastic reduction in allocation, the state government found it difficult to do that now.’’
NAN learnt that there were a total of 1,713 public primary schools in the state under the supervision of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
A parent, Chief Rex Olawoye, who urged the Federal Government to pay teachers’ salaries directly to SUBEB in each state, also called on the government to remove the board from the direct supervision of state governments.
In Osun, the Permanent Secretary of SUBEB, Alhaji Fatai Kolawole, also said the non-payment of teachers’ salaries was due to reduced allocation from the federation account.
Kolawole told NAN that the payment of salaries of Elementary and Middle School teachers had been regular before the sudden drop in federal allocation in the middle of 2014.
He said that in spite of the sharp reduction in allocation, the state government tried to ensure payment of salaries to teachers due to their sensitive services.
The SUBEB boss said teachers in the Elementary and Middle Schools had been paid up to April 2015, “while the three months outstanding will be paid soon.’’
He reiterated the board’s commitment to make teachers comfortable to offer quality teaching to pupils, adding that “it is disheartening that we found ourselves in this condition; it is obvious that this is not the best of moment for us as a board because we hold our teachers in high esteem.
“We have been battling with this unfortunate issue of erratic payment of salaries for teachers since the allocation to the state came down drastically in the middle of 2014.
“However, teachers in Elementary Schools were paid up to April, including some other ones in the middle schools; it is our hope that the arrears will be paid immediately we get our share of the bailout from Federal Government”.
Mr Wakeel Amuda, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Osun, said public school teachers in the state were being owed five months salary arrears. Amuda said the union called off its eight weeks strike after the state government paid 50 per cent of January and February salaries to the teachers.
He said the state government promised to settle the backlog of salaries once the bailout fund from the Federal Government was released.
The NUT boss, who said the union had no accurate figure of the number of teachers in the state, said the proposed staff auditing by the state government would ascertain the number of teachers and the entire workforce in the state.
The story is the same in Ondo State as Solomon Igbelowowa, the Secretary of NUT, also blamed the development on dwindling allocation from the federation account.
He said “generally, all workers in the state are owed and there is no discrimination of salary payment in the state.
“All state workers are being owed up to two months. The last salary paid to the teachers was in May, indicating that the state government is still owing June and July salaries, but the same thing is applicable to all workers; not just teachers.
“The reason is a national issue, that is, economic crisis at national level, causing reduction of federation allocation to states; it is a national phenomenon in the country and there are even states owing their workers five to six months salaries.’’
According to Igbelowowa, the state government is responsible for teachers’ salaries.
In Ogun, Mr Dare Ilekoya, the NUT Chairman, confirmed that teachers were owed eight months salary deductions and leave allowance for 2014.
He said that the deductions were part of the salaries representing co-operative funds, union dues and bank loans that were deducted from workers salaries, noting that the state government’s action was equivalent to not paying salaries at all.
He said the local governments, through the Joint Allocation Council (JAC), were responsible for the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries in Ogun.
Ilekoya, who said he could not confirm the accurate number of primary school teachers in the state, said they were no fewer than 19,000.
In Oyo State, Mr Waheed Olojede, the Executive Secretary of NUT also attributed the non-payment of teachers’ four months salaries to pausity of funds.
Olojede said “until the challenge of paucity of funds was tackled, teachers would continue to be owed.’’
He also complained that teachers’ salaries were being included into local government allocation, noting that “the challenge facing the payment of primary school teachers in Oyo State is the fact that the money is included into local government allocation.
“The local government councils are always complaining that all the allocations went into payment of salaries, especially teachers.’’
He, however, said efforts were being made to harmonise the payment of teachers’ salaries at the local government level in order to tackle the problem.
A public school teacher, Mrs Yemisi Akinwumi, said government was owing them four months salaries.
Another teacher, Mrs Victoria Akintola, said “this non-payment of salaries can even make teachers to collect bribe.’’
In Akwa Ibom, teachers were owed 2013 and 2014 leave grants, promotions arrears from 2010 to 2012, as well as non-refund of the terminated 7.5 per cent contributory Pension Scheme.
Mr Edoho-eket Ubokudom, the Chairman of NUT, Eket branch, said that the state government had yet to pay teachers July salary.
Ubokudom said SUBEB was responsible for the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries.
Mrs Blessing Presson, who teaches at Government Primary School, Eket, complained that as at second week of August, the state government had yet to pay July salary.
Presson said she expected the refund of the cancelled 7.5 per cent contributory pension scheme ‘`but up until now, we have not been paid.’’
Meanwhile, Gov. Udom Emmanuel had directed the state’s Accountant-General to clear all unpaid entitlements of teachers.
Emmanuel gave the directive while swearing in chairmen and members of the 31 Local Government Transition Committees in the state.
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