At least two Primary school teachers were reportedly injured on Friday by hoodlums who besieged the state Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Jalingo and denied the teachers access to the Secretariat where they were scheduled to hold prayers over non-payment of their salaries for six months.
Mr Muhammed Lawa who spoke for the Concerned Primary School Teachers in Taraba teacher explained that, they have written a letter to the NUT chairman, Mr Peter Julius and the security to use the NUT house to pray for God intervention into their plight and were surprised that after all the approval, some persons paid the hoodlums who came in and injured some of their members before locking the premises and leaving undisturbed.
Lawa alleged that, both the police and the NUT chairman have given them go ahead, little did they know that the chairman has sponsored thugs to luck the house gate.
“We are owed six months salary by governor Darius Ishaku’s administration, our chairman Mr. Peter Julius is not making any move in regard to our plight. He only approach the government to negotiate for contracts, when ever contract is given to him by the government of governor Ishaku, we start seeing shortage in even some months that the government decides to pay.
“We refuse to protest, we want God to intervene into this matter because the governor told us he is out to rescue and we believe teachers are not excluded. We are supprise that the NUT chairman has chosen to use our rights for his personal ambition.
“We understand he is nursing for a political office come 2023 and he is trying to win the heart of the governor to support him when the time comes. It is now clear that the NUT chairman is behind the non payment of our six months salaries and salary deduction within this period he is handling contracts for the state government.
Reacting to the allegations, Julius said that he was surprised that anyone would accuse him of any involvement since he gave approval for the prayer session and was even in touch with the state Chairman of NLC who also asked to be part of the prayers.
Julius said that he was duly elected by the teachers and their welfare remains his overriding concern and asked the people to dismiss the allegations as baseless.
Confirming the altercation, Julius said that he heard about the clash and believes that it may not be unconnected to the suspension of some members over anti union activities and or threat by a certain politician who has vowed to deal decisively with any teacher he sees protesting in the state.
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