By Ogechi Okorie
Abuja (Precise Post) – The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has been directed to screen Local Education Authority (LEA) teachers across the territory before the commencement of payment of the minimum wage and arrears.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Musa Bello, gave the order at a meeting of the FCT NUT at the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Dukpa, in Gwagwalada Area Council on Saturday.
Bello who was represented by the FCTA Director of Human Resources, Mohammed Bashir, said screening the teachers would enable the administration and area councils to know the total amount involved and the teachers that were legally recruited within the period.
The Chairman of the FCT NUT, Comrade Stephen Kabayi, while addressing newsmen, expressed displeasure with the area council chairmen for reneging on the agreement earlier reached to commence implementation of the minimum wage February 1, 2021.
Comrade Kabayi said, “And as it is now, the FCTA came up with an appeal to allow them to do the verification of the LEA teachers in order to come up with authentic list of teachers, which we had to accept to allow the verification.
“So we have discussed and agreed that from now we will suspend our strike action, but immediately after the screening, we will come up with our next line of action.”
The FCT ALGON Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mustapha, assured the union that teachers would soon get their minimum wage after the completion of the screening exercise.
Recall that the union had threatened to resume strike if the area council chairmen failed to implement teachers’ minimum wage as from February, 1, 2021.
