Re: Teachers protest over LG autonomy

Local government workers and primary school teachers are having a bad time. There is no significant difference between the last administration by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the current All Progressives Congress (APC)led government on how local government workers and primary school teachers are treated. However, under the current administration there is a measure of sympathy from the president through his bailout fund and payment of Paris Club to states. It is clear that the president is very much concerned about the plight of local government workers and primary school teachers.

Unfortunately, in their relationship with local governments, many of the state governors are even doing worse than their predecessors. For example, Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, who claims to be a man of the people, has continued to kick against local government autonomy. In fact, his recent assault on the local government system was the retrenchment and compulsory retirement of thousands of local government workers and primary school teachers.

Some states like Nasarawa, Benue and Ekiti, shamelessly pay teachers and other local government staff half of their monthly salaries. In Osun and Kogi, local government and primary school teachers owed several months of salaries.

There is the need for synergy between the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT). The local government system must be liberated from ruthless capitalists and political bourgeoisies.