Mrs Ann Kuruye spent her youthful years as a teacher in Rivers State Civil Service. She has put in 34 years of service as a teacher and was very expectant that her long years of service will earn her retirement with her full benefits paid. But she was forced to retire not only without benefit but being owed six years’ salary.
Mrs Kuruye is one of the teachers at the state government-owned Ignatius Ajuru University Demonstration Secondary School, DSS. The salary of Mrs Kuruye and other of her colleagues was stopped since January 2016. Kuruye now works as a nanny.
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She had an accident that needed surgery to extract an object from her leg but her daughter’s financial status will not be able to take care of her medical bills. Kuruye now looks up to God to perform a miracle of healing for her.
“We were paid the last salary in January 2016. We don’t know the reason why our salaries were stopped by the state government. I have served the state for 34 years. I spent all my youthful years serving the state as a teacher and there is nothing to show for it. If they have retired me it would have been better for me. I now work as a nanny. I had an accident that needed surgery to extract an object from my leg. It required some money but my daughter’s financial status cannot take care of the medical bill. I have served the state meritoriously where I spent all my youthful years. If they have retired me it would have been better,” she said.
Many of the teachers engaged by the state owned University Demonstration Schools are owed arrears of salaries that spanned over six years and are calling on Governor Nyesom Wike, to consider their plight.
The teachers, at a recent joint media briefing with a civil society organization in Port Harcourt, said they have been experiencing untold hardship and are unable to pay their rent and children’s fees.
They said those affected were teachers from the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Demonstration Secondary School, Ndele, Seashell Model Primary School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State University International Secondary and Staff Schools, Port Harcourt and Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic Comprehensive Secondary School, Bori.
The case of Olu Ikulghan is another pathetic story. Ikulghan and his wife are both teachers at the Ignatius Ajuru Demonstration Secondary and have both not been paid salary since 2016.
Olu Ikulghan, lamented that they could no longer take care of their children’s needs.
He explained sadly that his children attending higher institutions have dropped out of school because they could not pay their fees, while the younger ones in secondary school were at home as they could not afford their tuition.
“I was employed to teach right from 1991. I was just a young man and I married my current wife who is also a teacher in the same school. With the recent development, both of us are affected and our children are badly affected.
“Our children in higher institutions, a boy and girl, could not continue their education because we cannot afford their tuition fees.
“Then the two other ones in secondary schools are also at home. They have also dropped out of school,” the heartbroken Ikulghan lamented.
He appealed to the governor to come to their aid to enable their children return to school and continue their studies.
“It has been so bad on us because I and my wife are staff of the same school. So, I appeal to our Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to do something about it, so that my children can return to school.
“My daughter was reading medicine but she had to come back and is now doing nothing,” Ikulghan said tearfully.
Another teacher from the Demostration Secondary School, Friday Ihua said his last salary was paid in February 2015.
“The argument was that the schools where we teach are collecting fees. The teachers do not collect the fees. It’s the management of the university that collects fees and not us. The unskilled staff in the school, such as labourers, cleaners and typists, are getting their salaries but we do not receive salaries and we still teach. We took the matter to an industrial court and the court ruled in our favour. The state government appealed against the matter and lost. The appeal court directed the government to pay us but nothing has been done. We are really suffering. Imagine somebody that has not earned salary for six years. Our rents are long overdue and our landlords are on our necks to pay them. Our children are out of school because we have no money to pay their school fees,” he said.
Ihua called on the government to show mercy on them and clear the arrears of their salary.
Another teacher of the Ignatius Ajuru University Demostration Secondary School, Ibekwe Akor, said despite the fact that their salaries have not been paid for six years they are still rendering services in their respective schools.
“They have not paid us salaries for six years and we are still rendering services to the school. It has been a tough time for us. We are terribly suffering. Our children are out of school and we cannot pay our rent. We went to court and won. The government appealed the case and lost. The court directed that we should be paid but the government refused to pay us. We are suffering and needed something urgent to be done,” he said.
The Chairman, Rivers State Civil Society Organisation, Enefaa Georgewill, called on Governor Nyesom Wike to consider the hardship being experienced by the teachers, coupled with the harsh economy.
“For us in the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation, we want to plead with the Rivers State government to, in good conscience, reconsider its position on the non-payment of teachers of Rivers State Demonstration Primary and Secondary schools for about six to seven years now.
“We are making this plea because we know the governor is one who in recent times has carried out philanthropic acts, even to persons who are outside our state.
“We want to call you on the governor to end his tenure on a clean slate and not to go down in history as someone who ended the salaries of these teachers.
“The governor should assist these teachers. Seven years is not seven days, some of them are dying, some can’t pay their children’s fees and they are facing untold suffering.
“As an organisation, we salute the governor’s courage and we are equally going to praise him for his lofty step. We are quite sure that the affected teachers are Rivers people and his supporters as well.
“So, let him give a human face to this issue. These teachers are still teaching, hoping that he would come to their aide someday. Considering the kind of hardship we are facing in this country, the governor should consider them and pay them,” Georgewill pleaded.
Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Professor Chinedu Mmom said he was not aware of the plight of the teachers.
Professor Chinedu Mmom, who assumed duty as a Commissioner of Education a few weeks ago, said nobody through verbal or written communication, has informed him about the plight of the teachers.
“I am not aware of their plight. I have not been informed about their situation. I have not received any memo concerning their matter. Nobody has informed me about their matter,” he said.
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike had recently directed that a biometric screening of the teachers should be carried out in the state. Many of the teachers who were captured in the exercise have no issue in the payment of their monthly salaries.
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