NUT Planned Strike: Governor El-rufai Reads Riot Act
The Senior Special Assistant, SSA, Samaila Aruwan, to the kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasiru El-rufai issued a press statement on the planned strike action by the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. The state governor through its spokesman threatens any teacher who embarked on the strike action with dismissal from service.
According to Aruwan, “It has come to the notice of the kaduna State Government that the state branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has declared an indefinite strike. This is an illegal action, and will not achieve its aim of derailing the education reforms being implemented by the government,” has said.
Adding that, “The Kaduna State Government is not available to be blackmailed into knowingly retaining unqualified teachers. Neither would it mortgage the future of two million primary school pupils because failed teachers are shamelessly mobilizing sentiment.
“At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Labour, the Kaduna State Government twice met in Abuja with the officials of the NLC and the NUT. The Governor Nasir El-Rufai personally led the Kaduna State delegation to the first meeting. During these interactions, KDSG made it clear that as an employer, it has every right to determine who its employees are or can be, and the minimum qualifications they “must possess.
The Kaduna State Government wishes to inform the public that it has instructed its Education administrators to open registers in all its schools, starting from Monday, 8th January 2018. Any teacher that is absent from work will be treated with the consequences that pertain to absconding from duty under the Public Service Rules. There can be no doubt that KDSG will take firm and decisive disciplinary action against personnel who absent themselves from duty, including dismissal from service.
“KDSG recalls that the NUT placed primary school pupils, who are the victims of failing teachers, in danger by pushing them into the streets to demonstrate for the retention of bad teachers. That ruse failed. Some union leaders are also likely to be prosecuted for assault, unlawful procession and destruction of public property when they attacked the State House of Assembly.
“The children of the poor are the ones that attend public primary schools. We owe them a decent standard of education, and we shall provide it.”
It can be recalled that the National Industrial Court in kaduna had in December 2017 issued an interlocutory injunction restraining the kaduna state government from disengaging any teacher from service pending the outcome of the trial. Afterwards, Governor El-rufai in a radio interview said that the state government had issued the letter of disengagement to the teachers that failed his competency test before the court declaration of restraining order. While on the other hand, NUT debunked the state government claim that no teacher was given any letter of disengagement before the court pronouncement that the current status quo be maintained.
