Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State

Mr Abdullahi Suleiman, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kogi, on Monday appealed to the state government to hasten payment of arrears of salaries owed teachers.

He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his office in Lokoja.

Suleiman said that the affected teachers had found it difficult to cater for their families and other dependants, due to the delay.

He noted that although the state government had accessed bailout funds to clear backlog of salaries, only 30 per cent of the teachers were paid three months arrears of salary.

Suleiman lamented over the plight of teachers in the state, noting that they had been at the receiving end, as government had not considered them “fit for minimum wage, promotion, leave grant and incremental steps.”

The NUT chairman reminded the state governor, Yahaya Bello, that “the keystone to success is education”. (NAN)