Governor Nyesom Wike

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Over 200 teachers of Demonstration Schools, Yenagoa, have dragged the State government and Governor Nyesom Wike to the National Industrial Court for discontinuing the payment of their salaries since February 2016.

Teachers from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and the Ken Saro wiwa Polytechnic, Bori are affected by the Rivers State government’s decision to stop the payment of salaries of teachers of Primary and Demonstration Secondary Schools of the State owned higher institutions.

They claimed that their respective institutions have refused to pay them their salaries since Governor Wike stopped the payment of salaries of the teachers in the affected universities demonstration primary and secondary schools.

The teachers said the Demonstration School of the Kenule Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic has been shut following governor Wike’s directive while those of RSUST and Ignatius Ajuru University have managed to remain open despite the refusal of government to pay the teachers in the last five months.

The teachers want the National Industrial Court to declare the stoppage of their salaries by governor Wike as null and void.

The Demonstration Schools Teachers also want the National Industrial Court to declare that they are entitled to their salaries and other allowances from the State government till their dates of retirement.