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Nigeria: Senate Fails to Broker Truce
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Daily Trust (Abuja)
23 July 2008
Posted to the web 23 July 2008
Abdul-Raman Abubakar, Abdullahi M. Gulloma and Ruby Rabiu
Abuja
The Senate Committee on Education has failed to broker a truce between the Federal Government and striking members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
In separate appearances before the Senate Committee, Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwanchukwu and the NUT officials led by its President, Mr. Nelson Onem were at variance on the ways to end the strike action.
Aja-Nwachukwu told the committee his ministry has no hands in the ongoing strike because the federal government is not the employer of teachers in the country saying, "Teachers in Unity Schools are civil servants." According to him, "We don't have problem with teachers; NUT should declare industrial action with their employers not with federal government.
What was decided is not binding unless the three tiers domesticate it. I urge the NUT to direct their requests to their various state governments; we are pleading with the NUT to consider that the abnormality was done by the military," the minister said.
While presenting its case, the NUT leadership said they are not demanding for additional payment from Federal Government as portrayed by Aja-Nwanchukwu.
Secretary General of NUT, Obong Igbe said, "The situation now is that if we have the enhanced allowances as approved by the National Education Council (NEC) joined with the salary structure on ground, it now makes a difference and that is what we call TSS in the final analysis. So it is just an aspect of the TSS that we are now fighting for."
NUT President, Mr. Onem told the Senate Committee, "We are not demanding for payment from federal government. What we are asking for is for them to pay their own staff, though they call them civil servants now while we negotiate with our various states."
The union leaders insisted that teachers will not return to the class rooms until their demands are met.
Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education Senator Joy Emordi promised the NUT of plans by the Senate to meet with President Yar'adua to fashion out ways of bringing the strike action to an end.
She said, "There is no point for the government to run away from its responsibilities using constitutional coloration as an excuse to run away from it.
Because it is still constitutional for the Federal Government to look at the minimum standard at all levels, primary school, secondary school and tertiary school. And again to prescribe minimum wage then for the federating units to now come in on that."
Also yesterday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to assume the leadership of the ongoing nationwide teachers strike if President Umaru Yar'adua does not urgently wade into the matter.
In a letter addressed to Yar'adua, the NLC said it was unfortunate that the federal government allowed the strike to enter the third week.
The letter signed by the President of NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, said the strike "is unfortunate because the issues involved are rather clear and simple," adding that "the issues do not warrant the irreconcilability that is now evident in the positions of the Federal Government and the NUT."
Also yesterday, chairman of the House Committee on Education, Farouk Lawan called on the Federal government to listen to the striking teachers.
Lawan who spoke to news men in Abuja said he is not sure what the problem is since the National Assembly had approved funds for the payment of the new salary for teachers in this year's budget.
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He said some states were prepared to pay more than the what the teachers are demanding, adding that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) was aware of the concurrent nature of education administration in the country but needs the Federal Government to show leadership example.
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