The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ebonyi State has announced an indefinite strike in seven local government areas (LGAs) due to the non-payment of teachers’ salaries for the past four months.
In a statement issued by the NUT Secretary, Bassey Asuquo, the affected LGAs include Ebonyi, Edda, Ezza South, Ezza North, Ivo, Ishielu, and Ohaukwu.
The statement pointed out that while some local government areas had cleared the backlog of salaries, many had failed to do so. “As of the close of work on February 5, 2025, we acknowledge that certain local government areas have cleared the salaries of our members. However, several local government chairmen have failed to clear the backlog of our members’ outstanding salaries,” the union said.
In response to this non-compliance, the NUT declared an indefinite strike in the affected LGAs. The union directed state and branch officers in these areas to strictly enforce the strike from 12:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Teachers in the affected areas were instructed to organize solidarity picket lines and monitor compliance across the localities.
As a result of the strike, students who showed up at schools on Thursday were reportedly sent home by union leaders and teachers.
In an attempt to resolve the issue, the Commissioner for Education, Paul Nwobasi, held a meeting with the affected local government chairmen and union executives. He explained that efforts to contact NUT members had been unsuccessful. “We have rescheduled another meeting with NUT tomorrow, Friday, February 7, 2025, and other union executives to resolve the matter because they have not made their grievances known to the Ministry of Education,” Nwobasi said.
The situation remains unresolved as both parties plan to meet again in hopes of finding a resolution.
