I won’t pay teachers demand – Imoke

Teachers in Cross River State have been on strike since resumption of school section over 27.5% allowance. Why wouldn’t you want to listen to them?This demand of  27.5% is not a small number; it is not 10% or 12%.  Moreover, we have agreed that they will benefit from the new minimum wage.  But to demand […]

Teachers in Cross River State have been on strike since resumption of school section over 27.5% allowance. Why wouldn’t you want to listen to them?
This demand of  27.5% is not a small number; it is not 10% or 12%.  Moreover, we have agreed that they will benefit from the new minimum wage.  But to demand for 27.5%,  that is even higher than the one for which the state was the first to implement. And it is only an allowance.  As I speak to you today the teachers are still on strike, yet they are receiving their salary.  Someone told me that it was deceptive that whereas they are sitting at home, they are getting salary. Last month we even topped it up with some part of the allowance.
What I told them was that I would pay the allowance as a compromise based on the 27.5% rate.  It will be most unfair and unjust for us to put that 27.5% on top of the new minimum wage.   Last month, I paid them full salary despite that they were on strike plus that percentage we calculated yet they are insisting on 27.5%.   I have told them that I will not pay it quite frankly.    For purpose of emphasis, I will not pay that 27.5%.  That should be clear.  It is unfair and unreasonable.  It is just an allowance.  But I appeal to the teachers to go back to work.  The children are suffering.  
In fairness, we have also been responsive to our teachers, just like we have been responsive to the public servants. When the minimum wage issue was being addressed at the time there was a civil servant that we were talking to. The then chairman of NUT came to sit down with me and said the teachers must benefit from the new minimum wage. So, I said Cross River State was the first state in Nigeria to implement the 27.5% allowance at that time, with the 27.5% allowance at that time the teachers’ salaries were much higher. But remember the 27.5%was an allowance, I said listen, is either you take the 27.5% increase in allowance or take the new minimum wage. Now, they did their calculations and knew minimum wage was higher than the 27.5%, because the truth is that the average salary increase between 2001 and today is 91%. You know that applied across the board to the civil servants and the teachers. Only for them after collecting the new salary to now come back to say they want the 27.5%. Now they opted for the new minimum wage which was a 91% average increment, now they say they want 27.5%.  As a lawyer, I made one mistake: I did not document this.

What are you doing to ensure that the teachers return to school before too long?
I think the children are very important and their education is critical.  The Nigeria Union of Teachers should call off the strike.  They should express other strong issues not on allowances.   We have a team that has been negotiating with them.  We have put all the issues on the table.  They should know that our state has very limited resources. We have embarked on many educational initiatives.
We do accommodate. I don’t like it when people come and tell me that the federal government directed. If the federal government directed them they should send the money with the directive. I don’t think that is the way to approach this. We are Cross Riverains. We are working collectively for the interest of everyone here and we must be able to reach them not just in terms of wage bills and salaries which if you ask me we have done well. More importantly we must be able to provide infrastructure, be able to fund our programme and initiatives that would serve the 3.12million people we have in the state.   

You have invested much in the education sector of the state. But it seems you have not got it quite right!
We have done well in education sector in recent times and we have seen significant improvement. We have improved in educational training.  We have reopened the College of Education.  Our passes rates are going up.  We introduced computer skills. There is significant development in the sector.  We are now opening an Institute of Technology and Management, and then they are mounting pressure that I must pay 27.5% or they won’t teach.
We have been passionate about this sector.  That is why we put in a lot there. And one of the great challenges we face with education is that it is one sector that needs tremendous investments at all levels.  It is one sector that has the greatest impact in our society. And it’s important that we get it right with education.  But happily, we have seen improvement in our external exams because we put in some rules and enforced them.
Before we came in, there were no standard six exams which is now mandatory and this has helped to improve the quality. There are more aggressive teachers’ training and there is also mock.  We are not longer being classified as educationally disadvantages state.  I think that is positive.