Abdullahi M. Gulloma
11 July 2008
The federal government yesterday called another round of talks with the striking teachers barely 24 hours after it announced it would not pay the Teachers Salary Scale (TSS), a demand that triggered the strike in the first place.
The talks are talking place on a day the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar and and Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. John Onaiyekan have called for a speedy resolution of the dis-pute to enable students return to classes.
The fresh meeting was sum-moned by the government to explore amicable ways of ending the nationwide strike by tea-chers over the nonpayment of the TSS.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Ambas-sador Baba Gana Kingibe is lea-ding the government team, which comprises of Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), the three ministers of education and their counterpart in labour.
The teachers are being repre-sented by the Secretary-General of NUT, Comrade Obong Ikpe Obong while the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar, andhis General Secretary, Comrade John Odah will attend as observers.
The SGF said at the meeting at the opening that, "we have charted a way forward, a road map, which I believe will result in a resolution of the on-going impasse."
He said the outcome of the meeting will be presented to President Umaru Musa Yar'a-dua, adding that "we are cons-cious of the need to act very quic-kly to bring this industrial action to an end so that the schools can resume."
On his part, the Secretary General of NUT, Comrade Obong said the meeting is yielding po-sitive results, stressing that "we have seen some elements of sin-cerity on the side of the govern-ment representatives."
Sultan Sa'ad and Archbishop Onaiyeka spoke in Abuja at the World Conference on New Media and Religious Transfor-mations in Africa, the two co-Chairmen of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) where they expressed their sadness over the lingering crisis in Nigerian educational system.
While the teachers demanded a new Teachers Salary Scale (TSS), the FG insisted on consi-dering enhanced teachers' allo-wances, instead of a separate salary scale for the teachers.
"I was away for two weeks and I am surprised that this crisis has not been resolved till now, it is a pity," Onaiyekan, who is the President of Christian Associa-tion of Nigeria (CAN) said.
He insisted that government must see education as a social security issue and maintained that neither the Minister nor officials of the Ministry of Edu-cation, other top government officials as well as executives of the NUT has their children in public schools.
The Emir of Agaie, Minna, Niger State, Alhaji Muhammad Kudu Abubakar III, represented the sultan.
The Sultan who said that Nigerian children has been de-nied enough educational right called on the government and NUT to immediately resolve their differences and end the strike.
Chairman of the occasion and the Vice-Chancellor, Al-Hikma University, Ilorin, Prof. Rasak Deremi Abubakar, described the teachers strike as a contradic-tions of governance.
He therefore calls for improved funding for education.
The three-day conference or-ganised by Centre for the study of African Culture and Commu-nication (CESACC), Port Har-court, Rivers State is aimed at loo-king into Africa's evolving reli-gious media scene, balance free-dom of expression and religion and discuss the use of religion in the media for conflict resolution, peace and development among others.
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