Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello

The Niger State Government has approved the payment of domestic servant allowances for teachers on Grade Levels 15 and above.

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger stated this at the 57th (6th Quadrennial) National Delegates Conference of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Minna on Tuesday.

The conference had its theme as: “Strengthening National Consciousness and Nation Building by the Instrumentality of the Public School System in Nigeria’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that part of the conference’s programme was to elect National Executive Officers of the union.

According to Bello, the domestic servant allowances will enable teachers measure up to their colleagues in the civil service as well as enhance productivity.

He also supported the request of the union to increase the retirement age of teachers from 35 to 40 years of service and 60 to 65 years of age.

Earlier, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, NUT Chairman in Niger, commended the state government for its regular payments of salaries and other entitlements of teachers.

He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to send an executive bill to the National Assembly for express approval to increase retirement age of teachers from 35 to 40 years of service and 60 to 65 years of age.

In his address, President Muhammadu Buhari, said that the Federal Government had ensured full payment of salaries of teachers in tertiary institutions and promotion of those in unity schools.

Buhari, who was represented by Mr Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, disclosed that the government was designing incentives for teachers of specialised subjects and those in rural communities to encourage productivity.

He disclosed that the Federal Governmenr had recruited 1,000 teachers into the 104 unity schools in the country in the last one year.

He advised teachers who had yet to register with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to do so before December to avoid being disqualified.

Also, Mr Michael Olukoya, National President of NUT, called on states yet to implement the 2011 national minimum wage and the 27.5 per cent teachers peculiar allowances to do so.

Olukoya said that these allowances are meant to motivate public school teachers to improve productivity in the work place

“We admonish those who have not repented to readjust in the interest and welfare of our public education, of which we were all beneficiries of in the old good days’’ he said.

Olukoya also condemned the operation of unregistered industrial unions operating in schools, such as the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS).

He added that such unions have no legitimate requirements to operate as a trade unions.