Teachers under the Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) have staged a protest, alleging ill-treatment by Local Government Chairmen, particularly regarding unpaid welfare benefits.
The teachers, appealing to Governor Francis Nwifuru for intervention, expressed frustration over being denied entitlements while their counterparts in the Secondary Education Board (SUBEB) have received theirs.
Leader of the protest, Ottah Ibiam, stated that despite working alongside SUBEB teachers, UBEB staff have been excluded from state allowances, promotions, and bonuses, including a N150,000 Christmas bonus for 2024.
The teachers cited specific unpaid benefits, including a May Day allowance, 2024 promotions, and a N20,000 increment, with their salary pegged at N70,000 instead of the N90,000 announced by the Governor.
"The way they have been denying us the state's allowances and denying the teachers, the primary and junior secondary school teachers in the state, has necessitated the protest. The issue is that it has not been motivating us to do our work the way it should be".
"And those that they are paying are not even coming to school, but it is not our concern; our concern is just for them to be giving us our entitlement. Likewise, the Christmas bonus of N150,000 in 2024 was denied to us.
"The promotion areas from 2024 were denied to us. The May Day, Labour Day, for which they paid 10,000 naira, was denied to us. Now, the increment, the 20,000 Naira increment – Governor Nwifuru said that he's going to pay a 90,000 Naira national minimum wage, but our own became 70,000 Naira.
"While others that we are staying within the school environment have been receiving. Secondary education board teachers that were in the same field, the same office, the same school environments and the same staff room stay together; they are giving them their own entitlement.
"We, they'll be denying us; the Governor has now said that he's going to pay 200,000 to 350,000 naira for a Christmas bonus for this year. Let them not deny it from us again," Ibiam said.
Ibiam, who told newsmen that their complaint to the state commissioner for education has not received a satisfactory response, pleaded with Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru's government to listen to their plight and pay as they have been paying other state workers.
When contacted in an interview at his office, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Ebonyi State chapter, Mr Ekechi Francis Okorie, confirmed their claims as truth, saying that the leadership of the union has been on top of the situation and assured that the issues would be resolved.
"That is true; you see, the situation is that. Last time, the state government, I think it's pronounced, gave the local government employees, the teachers, a bonus of 75,000 Naira. And some local governments – I think it was just about three local governments that completed paying that money. Ten local governments have not paid that money completely. Some teachers did not get that money.
"So when teachers complained, I kept on trying to calm them down, saying that I'm already on that matter. Then I have to ask my branch chairman to collect names of those that have not been paid or which I've submitted to the Commissioner for Education through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, so that they are going to make sure that the governor pays that money to those teachers; that is the bonus.
"Then coming to this issue of an additional N20,000 minimum wage, that is making it N90,000. The Governor, His Excellency, the Rt Honourable Builder Francis Ogbuna Nwifuru, said that the payment will start from September. Then SUBEB was paid.
"When I met with Ubeb, Ubeb said that they will start payment by October. Reaching October, they were not forthcoming. I was very surprised. I met with them again. First of all, I met with Jack. Jack told me that they were paying gratuity and there was no money anywhere. I had to report the matter to NLC. So from there, NSE immediately convened a meeting on the 6th of this month.
"The whole of the NLC affiliate was there. So from there they issued out a communique to governments directing them to pay that money on or before the 27th of November, which we are still on." Okorie explained.
The teachers' plight, if unaddressed, risks worsening Ebonyi's struggling education sector, they warned, appealing for the Governor's urgent action
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