The Nigeria Union of Teachers has described the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike as “nationalistic, patriotic and self-sacrificing”.
The union is also threatening to shut down the country’s education system should the federal government fail to accede to the lecturers demands.
NUT, which has primary and secondary teachers across the country as its members, gave the federal government a two-week ultimatum to resolve the faceoff between it and the striking lecturers.SEE MORE AFTER CUT>>>>
Speaking at the end of the union’s meeting with teachers’ representatives across the country, NUT President, Michael Olukoya, said that members of the union would not hesitate to close down the nation’s schools if the two parties failed to reach agreement after two weeks.
University lecturers across the country embarked on a nationwide strike on July 1, demanding that the government fulfil a 2009 agreement it signed with them, a move the union described the action as “comprehensive, total and indefinite”.
Olukoya also said that Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo’s call for a complete over-haul of teachers’ qualifications is unacceptable to the NUT.
He said that the blame should be put on the doorsteps of the employers and not teachers.
“NUT will forever be proud of all its teachers, believing that all employment agencies are corruption-free, disciplined and quality conscious in their employment drives,” he said.
Olukoya also urged the governors of Kogi, Benue and Cross River to honour the agreements they made with teachers on the payment of 27.5 per cent teacher’s salary structure.
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