By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
Amidst insecurity in various parts of the country, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has hinted of possible nationwide service withdrawals by its members unless urgent steps are taken to enhance adequate security in schools across the country.
The Union’s threat is coming as federal government reopened all the Unity schools earlier shutdown following widespread insecurity and abductions of school children across the country.
The National President of the NUT, Comrade Titus Audu Amba while addressing the opening of the 8th Quadrennial Delegation Conference of the Union in Dutse Jigawa state on Thursday lamented the declining security situation which has left the teachers and students vulnerable.
According to him, while it was good to encourage children to pursue education, such should be done under a tension-free and secure atmosphere.
He lamented that the rising spate of kidnapping of students and and killing of teachers as experienced in recent times have made the situation scary.
Citing recent cases of school abductions in Niger and Kebbi states where close to 300 students were kidnapped in both schools and a vice principal killed in one of the abductions, he said that no meaningful learning and teaching could take place under such situations.
“Therefore, our attention has to go back to securing our schools. We as leaders need to call on the government as we cannot continue to keep quiet while our schools are exposed to danger, our teachers are being killed, teachers cannot go to work and feel free while students cannot be in schools and learn.
“The issue is that education should be seen as a priority by the government. That is why we cannot afford to keep quite and allow things to go that bad and look as if it is normal and not show concern.
” The question remains why is it that the attention of the bandits has gone back to our schools? Are they using our students and teachers as human shields to prevent their arrests? These are the questions we need to ask and only the government has the answer.
“So, we insist that government must provide adequate security to secure our schools because I cannot see myself as a leader of great teachers of this country that their lives are in danger and I would continue to encourage them to go to work.
“Therefore, it’s not out of place to take such a drastic measure to protect my members and I will continue to do such untill government takes measures. Otherwise if the security is not guaranteed, we’ll make it mandatory that teachers should continue to remain in their homes until when our schools are safe and that is the position.”
He, however commended the Jigawa state government for placing the welfare of the teachers in the front burners as could be seen in the prompt payments of salaries and other allowances, pension and enhanced teacher training in the state, describing the gesture as unprecedented.
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