Niger state House of Assembly on Thursday directed the state government to revert to the state joint local government accounts in order to enable teachers of public primary schools resume work.
Speaker of the House, Mr Abdullahi Bawa, said this while reading the resolutions under matter of urgent public importance, brought before the house by Mr Malik Madaki, member representing Bosso Constituency during the plenary in Minna.
Bawa said the house also resolved that failure of the state government to comply with the directive would lead to the house not approving the 2023 local government budget.
Earlier in his presentation, Madaki said the teachers have refused to resume work because they were being paid salary on percentage by their council areas as a result of the partial autonomy operated by the state government.
“The state government neglected the provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended which provides in section 162 (6) and (8), that –
“There is nothing like partial autonomy and no state has the power to give autonomy without constitutional provision.
“Welfare of school teachers and other staff of local government are not being catered for and as a result the teachers have been on strike for a month now because they are not being paid their full salaries.”
He said the strike is affecting the academic learning of children who had been at home for long and this could lead them to engage in some vices.
The lawmaker said the percentage payment has also affected other administrative staff of local government councils and had grounded activities at local government levels.
According to him, the state government has kept aside the law and was doing what they feel is favourable to them, adding that the money that comes into the account of local governments can pay salaries and there will still have balance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that teachers in primary schools in the state, on Jan. 10, commenced a strike in compliance with the order of the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over percentage salary payment. (NAN)
