Nigeria Union Of Teachers Advocates For State Of Emergency On Security

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called for a state of emergency in the security sector to address the various security challenges.

The National President of the Nigeria Union Of Teachers, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, called for action during the annual solemn assembly held in Abuja.

Comrade Titus Amba expressed concern about the state kidnapping and other criminal activities. He emphasized the urgent need for a collective effort to tackle these challenges.

Comrade Titus Amba appealed to all levels of government and education stakeholders to collaborate in safeguarding schools and educators.

‘’Nigeria in recent times has recorded an unprecedented security challenges such as Boko Haram Terrorist (BHTS) attacks in the North East, Banditry in the North West, Herders and Farmers clashes in the South East, vandals and militant gangs, kidnappers in the South West and all the regions as of now.

In the above-mentioned atrocities, there was a report from the Joint Security Forces of Nigeria that 24,816 victims were killed whereas 15,597 were abducted since the beginning of the kidnappings till date.

It is therefore my humble plea that the Federal Government declare a state of Emergency as far as the security situation did not improve. Government at all levels should do the needful since security is everybody’s business.” Amba stated

He said the annual solemn assembly was organized to submit the activities of the NUT to the hands of God and to protect the union, teachers, and the entire country.

The President of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) also called for a constitutional amendment to prioritize the funding of primary and secondary education in the country. The aim is to ensure that the issue of irregular salary payments to teachers across states is effectively addressed. The proposed amendment seeks to place education funding as the top priority in revenue allocation.

He said the teachers’ professional salary structure that ought to have been implemented in 2023 was not accommodated in the 2024 budget and underscored the need for it to be addressed.

According to Comrade Titus-Amba, the union is concerned about the current state of the Nigerian economy. The continuous fall of the naira has increased the prices of goods and commodities, causing hardship for Nigerians. The union is calling on the Central Bank of Nigeria to take necessary actions and address this issue.

He said the union would, among other things, move for the removal of the ceiling where primary school teachers cannot progress beyond level 14.

Comrade Titus-Amba assured teachers that the union was closely following the new National Committee on Minimum Wage and would be feeding members on developments.