Kano teachers protest over unpaid salaries

Secondary school teachers in Kano State yesterday embarked on a demonstration over non-payment of their eight months salaries. The teachers’ who visited Media Trust office in Kano, alleged that since the government gave them appointment letters in January this year, they have not been paid. One of the protesters, Sadiq Sabitu, who spoke on behalf […]

Secondary school teachers in Kano State yesterday embarked on a demonstration over non-payment of their eight months salaries.
The teachers’ who visited Media Trust office in Kano, alleged that since the government gave them appointment letters in January this year, they have not been paid.
One of the protesters, Sadiq Sabitu, who spoke on behalf of the others, said before their conversion to permanent staff status, they worked for two years as casual staff on a salary of N10,000 monthly.
“We have come to express our displeasure over the refusal of the Kano State government to release our salaries.  Already many of us have left our wives while others have been evicted from their homes over their inability to pay rent,” he said.
The protesters claimed that they explored various avenues to collect their salaries from the government, but to no avail.
“We went to the Kano State Secondary School Management Board (KSSSMB) and it referred us to the state Ministry of Finance. After that, we took our complaints to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, who wrote a letter to the government about our plight,’’ Sabitu said.
He added: “After receiving the emir’s letter, the state government conducted a screening exercise and issued each of us a personal screening number and promised to release our salaries in August, but till date, nothing has been done’’.
The teachers said they were surprised by an announcement reportedly made by the state deputy governor, Professor Hazif Abubakar, who is also the Commissioner for Education, that the government is not owing salaries.
Efforts to get the government to comment proved abortive, as spokesman to the deputy governor, Usman Bello, did not pick calls put through to him. He also did not reply a message sent to him.