Public primary and secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State were closed down yesterday, as teachers began a strike action over an outstanding indebtedness owed them.
The date for the strike action had been communicated in a circular dated April 20, 2023, by the Senior Assistant Secretary-General of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Sam Umo-Inyang, and sent to the state Commissíoner for Education, Commissíoner for Labour and Manpower Planning, and a few others.
The circular had read that the state wing, Executive Council of NUT, including representatives of teachers from the 31 local government areas of the state had approved the resumption of strike action, which began in March 2022 but was suspended due to the personal intervention of Governor Udom Emmanuel would be resuming once more on from April 25, 2023.
The circular had listed that the grievances of the workers were: non-refund of 75 percent contributory pension to primary and a few secondary school teachers in the state and a Non-release of years 2021 and 2022 promotion letters to deserving secondary school teachers, among other grievances.
The circular then ended with the information that the workers would remain in their homes until the indebtedness was cleared by the state government.
