2023 budget: Rep Uju-Chima seeks more allocation to teachers, education devt

News Agency Of Nigeria

October 6, 2022 3:52 PM

Rep. Kingsley Uju-Chima ( PDP – Imo) has urged the National Assembly to ensure the 2023 budget for teachers and education development was shored up in appreciation of their impact on society.

Kingsley Uju-Chima (Daily Independent)

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the World Teachers’ Day was celebrated on Wednesday with the theme: “The Transformation of Education Begins With Teachers”.

In a statement in Lagos, Uju-Chima, representing Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta, Oru constituency said the house of representatives must find a way to reflect more for teachers as soon as it received the 2023 budget from President Muhammadu Buhari.

“As parliamentarians, I want to urge us today that the budget we are going to receive from the President in a couple of days, we must devote enough percentage for teachers and enough percentage for the development of education system in Nigeria.

“Why I say this is because, the United Nations charter says education should be given upmost priority in order to develop a nation.

“If we watch the level of insecurity today in the country, it is borne out of the level of ignorance and illiteracy, ” Uju-Chima said.

He said there was need for every Nigerian to appreciate teachers because without them, members of the house for instance, including him, would be in their various villages.

The lawmaker noted that our lingua franca existed because of teachers, otherwise lawmaking would have been almost impossible considering the different tongues and tribes represented at the assembly.

“I am very optimistic that if the teachers were not there, maybe some of us might be farming, be in the village and not have the opportunity of coming to Abuja to see the level of development we have seen or are seeing today in Abuja.

“This is why it is very imperative for us to use this medium again to celebrate the teachers, most especially the ones that taught and impacted directly on my life as a student, either in primary, secondary or in the university,” Uju-Chima said.

He added that his teachers inculcated most of the virtues and discipline he exhibited as lawmaker.

According to him, growing up, most of us hated many of these teachers for being disciplinarians but their discipline paid off.

“Those canes were actually to remodel us,” he added.

He commended the Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila for creating opportunity to celebrate the teachers on the World Teachers’ Day marked on Oct. 5.

The lawmaker, who noted that no one could become anything without going through the school system, said that school systems made each member of the parliament what they had become.

“This is one major transformation the teachers have actually given to us, members of the national assembly.”

He urge the assembly members to deemphasize whatever projects that would not impact positively on the lives of children and the lives of those students who were out of school because of ASUU strike.

He commended the speaker for devoting almost two weeks to intervene in the ASUU strike to see to its end.

News Agency Of Nigeria