The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has once again called on President Bola Tinubu to implement the comprehensive welfare packages approved for teachers by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
Speaking to journalists, the National President of the union, Audu Amba, expressed concern that five years after the federal government’s promise to introduce a special salary structure and other incentives for teachers, none of the initiatives has been implemented.
Amba said the delay in executing the approved packages has contributed to low morale, poor productivity, and declining well-being among teachers nationwide. He urged the current administration to fulfill the long-standing promises as a way to restore confidence and motivation among educators.
“The implementation of these incentives is crucial to boosting teachers’ morale in carrying out their professional duties,” Amba stated.
He highlighted key components of the welfare plan, including the payment of a special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, reintroduction of bursary awards for students studying education, a dedicated teachers’ pension scheme, and an extended retirement age of 65 years.
Additional benefits, he said, included housing units for teachers, special allowances for science teachers and those working in rural areas, as well as financial support for students in education-related courses.
“Former President Buhari took a bold step to approve all these things for us,” Amba said. “We are appealing to President Tinubu to take another bold step by implementing them. Government is a continuum.”
He also acknowledged the sacrifices of teachers across the country and encouraged them to remain committed to the ideals of the profession despite the many challenges they face.
It will be recalled that in 2020, during the celebration of World Teachers’ Day, the Buhari administration announced several measures aimed at uplifting the teaching profession. These included the construction of low-cost housing for teachers, automatic employment for education graduates, free public school tuition for teachers’ biological children, and access to loans for housing, agriculture, cars, and motorcycles.
The federal government had argued that the new policies were designed to make the teaching profession more attractive and encourage better service delivery. However, five years later, their full implementation remains pending.
