APC wrestles NUT boss over teachers' apology to Fayemi, condemn PDP, Fayose

The leadership of the Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Samuel Akosile, for his discrediting teachers who apologised to ex-governor, Kayode Fayemi, in the last governorship polls.

Fayemi famously lost the June 21, 2014 governorship election to a former governor Ayo Fayose whose comeback was supported byb the teachers' body.

Some teachers recently made a public apology to the ex-governor during a live radio programme.

But the NUT boss disowned them, a move that did not go down well with the APC, Fayemi's party, which argues that teachers were better treated under the ousted government,

The State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, the party described Akosile's statement as unfortunate in a statement published by the Daily Independent.

“The statement does not represent the collective views of the teachers who celebrated Christmas in hunger compared to the pomp, with which they celebrated previous Christmas under Governor Kayode Fayemi,” Olatubosun reportedly said.

The party scribe said Akosile was used to discredit Fayemi’s administration in order to pave way for Fayose.

He cited the case of The Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA), which was criticised under Fayemi but retained by Fayose's government.

“The Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA), which Akosile said was meant to sack the teachers, was a ploy to deceive the public and paint Fayemi’s administration in bad light.

"The TDNA was to know their areas of strengths and weaknesses and then train them for professional proficiency and sound output,” Olatubosun explained.

Olatubosun noted that Fayose did nothing for teachers in his first time as governor of the state, 2003 and 2006, unlike under Fayose.

“Teachers got increase in their salaries four times. From N7,500 minimum wage that Fayemi met in 2010 , he increased it to N13, 000 while teachers also got 33 per cent relativity pay and later the wage was increased to N19, 300 with teachers getting their 27.5 per cent pecuniary allowance.

“Akosile also forgot to mention that under Fayemi’s administration, teachers were paid 20 per cent of their salary as Core Subject allowance for those teaching core subjects and another 20 per cent as rural posting allowance as incentive for those posted to rural areas. But today, all these allowances have been stopped by Akosile’s “teachers-friendly” Governor Fayose.”

The APC spokesman listed other welfare packages teachers enjoyed under the past administration.

He said the party has accepted the apology of the teachers who he said have only "realised that they were misled to do so by those who are now at the helm of affairs and whose agenda is to create problems."