Nigeria: The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) threatens to initiate a nationwide strike after the Kaduna State Government decides to dismiss 2,357 teachers from employment.
The union states that the decision must be reversed, and it was made known during its National Executive Council meeting at the Teachers House, Lugbe, Abuja, on Wednesday, 22 June.
As per Kelvin Okonkwo, the NUT Deputy National President, the decision regarding the dismissal of teachers came after the president’s refusal and a few teachers to take a competency test conducted by the state government, among other various reasons.
“The intention is clearly to threaten the NUT President and embarrass the public school teachers in Nigeria,” he expressed.
The union stated that the NUT family reconfirmed its pledge to stand by the revered President Comrade Audu Titus Amba and all other teachers in the Kaduna State.
He also expressed, “The union will persist in performing its historical role of protecting the rights of teachers in Nigeria, and no amount of anti-labour policies of the Kaduna State Government and elsewhere can reduce this resolve.”
The union also argued that the government should have employed the teachers in training rather than dismissed them.
NUT further claimed that more than 21000 teachers were dismissed or retired back in 2018, citing that the sacking of other teachers would significantly increase the numbers.
It is appropriate to state that the Kaduna State Government’s purported Competency test was conducted during the pendency of Suit No NICN/54/2021 before the National Industrial Court, Kaduna Division.
Moreover, the purported dismissal of 2,357 teachers was due to the unsettledness of another Motion on Notice, it claimed.
Additionally, the union further urged an order to restrain the state government from sacking any public school teacher who didn’t take or failed the competency test that was conducted.
 threatens to initiate a nationwide strike after the Kaduna State Government decides){kind=link}