File Photo. |
The nation’s Police and other security operatives in Kaduna have
mounted surveillance at major roads and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
Secretariat in the state capital to prevent the Nigeria Union of Teachers
(NUT), from going ahead with the protest.
Policemen were also drafted along the
Kaduna-Abuja highway to prevent NLC members from other states and the FCT from
entering into Kaduna state for the anti-government protest.
Meanwhile, NLC officials from the
national secretariat and labour leaders of affiliated unions from the 36 states
of the federation are already in the state to take part in the rally.
Earlier the state government and the
police had warned the teachers against embarking on any illegal procession
or engaging in any act that violates the law or threatens the peace of the
state.
The State Commissioner of Police,
Agyole Abeh who addressed journalists in his office on Wednesday, said any
breach of peace by the striking teachers would be dealt with decisively.
Recall
that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUJ) in Kaduna State had on Monday commenced an indefinite strike to protest against the sacking of over
21,000 teachers by the state government.
Channels reports that the
union directed all teachers in the state to remain at home until the state
government reverses its decision after the sacked primary school teachers
scored below 75 per cent in a competency test conducted for them in June 2017.
Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State Gov. |
The directive was
contained in a notice served to NUT members across the state and signed by the
union Chairman and Assistant Secretary-General, Audu Amba and Adamu Ango
respectively.
The NUT explained that
the decision to commence the industrial action followed the expiration of the
two weeks’ notice it gave to the state government to rescind the decision.
They also criticised the
government’s decision to proceed with the sack despite a suit at the National
Industrial Court on the matter.
However, the state
government is not taking the matter with kid gloves as it warned public school
teachers not to obey the directive by the union.
In a statement signed by
Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s spokesperson, Mr Samuel Aruwan, the government warned
that any teacher who is absent from work would be treated with the consequences
that pertain to absconding from duty under the Public Service Rules.
The statement read:
“There can be no doubt that state will take firm and decisive disciplinary
action against personnel who absent themselves from duty, including dismissal
from service.
“This is an illegal
action, and will not achieve its aim of derailing the education reforms being
implemented by the government. The Kaduna State Government wishes to inform the
public that it has instructed its education administrators to open registers in
all its schools, starting from Monday, January 8, 2018.”
The government insisted
that there is no going back in its decision, stressing that there is no amount
of blackmail that will make it retain unqualified teachers in service.
They added that they
won’t mortgage the future of two million primary school pupils because failed
teachers “are shamelessly mobilising sentiment”.
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