NUT blames governors for friction among teachers

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has accused some governors, who are owing salaries, of sponsoring a breakaway faction of the union, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) to create instability.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the national leadership of NUT also described as “baseless, unfounded and false” a claim by the ASUSS, led by one Mr Samuel Omaji, that its registration as a Trade Union has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

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President of NUT, Dr Nasir Idris, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kelvin Nwankwo, maintained that such matter was never before the apex court, appealing to all secondary school teachers not to “fall prey to the propaganda employed by ASUSS leadership and its sponsors”.

Nwankwo explained: “What was brought before the Supreme Court was the contest of the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the suit of ASUSS was upheld by the Federal High Court, Abuja, which was appealed by the ASUSS to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court respectively.”

Responding to questions from journalists, he added: “I want you to find out, these people do not have any fixed address.

“No, they don’t have any fixed address. One of the characteristics of a trade union is that they call for a strike, they can go into industrial dispute if they are not satisfied with the way the government is treating their members.

“Can ASUSS go on strike? No! They cannot! That is why we are saying some people are using them.

“Especially some state governors that are not ready to perform their duties by paying salaries to workers. The Bible says a worker is worthy of his wage.

“We are challenging them, let them organise a press conference like this, and then bring out that court judgment which says they should unionise secondary teachers or bring out their certificate of registration as a trade union.”