Teachers in Kogi state have threatened to vote out incumbent governor Idris Wada in the forthcoming governorship election in the state if he fails to pay the N32bn owed them in unpaid allowances.
PDP, Wada in trouble as Kogi teachers rage over N32bn salary arrears
Teachers in Kogi state have threatened to vote out incumbent governor Idris Wada in the forthcoming governorship election in the state if he fails to pay the N32bn owed them in unpaid allowances.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kogi, Suleiman Abdullahi
Abdullahi said the Wada-led government owes teachers in public primary schools N32 billion, N23 billion of which is the outstanding arrears of the new minimum wage, while N8.7 billion is unpaid leave grants for four years.
The union leader said the government's failure to pay the monies had already affected the education sector because teachers are demoralized.
"There cannot be commitment from a teacher who is sick and hungry," Abdullahi said.
"There cannot be commitment from a teacher who is not sure of what he will be paid and when he will be paid."
Urging his colleagues to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), he warned that an education-friendly candidate would be voted in the coming elections.
He also told the teachers who are not yet registered to do so before the polls.
The threat will not be taken lightly by the Wada camp, especially with the emergence of a former Governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wada, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, is also facing pressure from his party, after a group appealed to the national leadership and the PDP Governors’ Forum in July.
In a nine-page petition to the PDP national secretariat, the group said Wada would be defeated at the polls.
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