5,664 sacked teachers to sue Abia government if not reinstated

The 5,664 teachers recently disengaged by Abia state government are threatening to sue the state government if they are not reinstated.

Their lawyers have written Abia’s Secondary Education Management Board on Wednesday threatening legal action if they are not reinstated in their jobs and their salaries paid.

The teachers were employed and deployed to places of primary assignment in 2019 but have never been paid any salaries or allowances, their lawyers said.

“We also gathered that albeit unfortunately that our clients’ employment with your agency was unlawfully terminated, via an on-air-announcement, credited to the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Abia State, on August 5, 2020.

“The purported termination of our clients’ employment was made ultra vires and is null and void and of no consequent effect ab initio having been made without due reference to Abia State Government Public Service Rules and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”.

The lawyers, through the letter, therefore, demanded the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the teachers. They also asked for immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances of the sacked 5,664 teachers.

They noted that the letter was also meant to notify the board of its willingness to take it to court if it failed to accede to the demands of the sacked teachers.