{"id":30338,"date":"2014-08-18T17:52:21","date_gmt":"2014-08-18T16:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=30338"},"modified":"2014-08-18T17:52:21","modified_gmt":"2014-08-18T16:52:21","slug":"akpabios-uncommon-transformation-suffering-primary-school-teachers-akwa-ibom-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/akpabios-uncommon-transformation-suffering-primary-school-teachers-akwa-ibom-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Akpabio’s “Uncommon Transformation” And The Suffering Of Primary School Teachers In Akwa Ibom State"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
By Inibehe Effiong<\/p>\n

If there is a class of civil servants in Akwa Ibom State that have been
\nperennially marginalized, deeply stigmatized and greatly insulted, it is
\nteachers in the about 1110 public primary schools in the state. Their story
\nis a tragic reminder of the agonizing era of slavery when slave-workers who
\ndevoted the totality of their lives to the service of slave masters and the
\nsociety were never properly appreciated and compensated.<\/p>\n

Unlike their counterparts in public secondary schools, primary school
\nteachers in Akwa Ibom State are relegated by the state government to a
\npoint that silence is no longer golden. It is as if they have sinned
\nagainst God and humanity. The current travails of these oppressed teachers
\ncannot be exhaustively addressed in this piece, it will require writing a
\ntextbook if one were to attempt an exhaustive narrative of their travails.
\nBut for the purpose of this essay, few examples will suffice.<\/p>\n

How does one explain the fact that till now, the third week of August 2014,
\nteachers in public primary schools in Akwa Ibom State are yet to be paid
\ntheir meagre salaries for the months on June and July 2014. How can a
\ngovernment that prides itself as being pro-people owe those who have the
\nhistoric task of laying a foundation for our children’s education for two
\nmonths? These are people with families to cater for, people who do not have
\nany other serious source of income.<\/p>\n

The state government has equally been very unconcerned about other welfare
\ncomponents of these teachers such as; belated reflection of promotion in
\nsalary, leave grant, pension and gratuity, etcetera. For instance, primary
\nschool teachers who were recruited in 2001 whose promotion was due in 2010
\nonly received their promotion arrears in 2013. Promotion in the state’s
\ncivil service is every three years. Thus, those teachers who were recruited
\nin 2001 were due for another promotion in 2013, but till date, this has not
\nreflected in their salaries.<\/p>\n

Before now, promotion for these teachers was based on year of
\n‘certification’ and employment but the Godswill Akpabio regime in its sense
\nof justice has now changed it to solely year of employment. Meaning that
\nprior to now, a teacher who acquired his qualifying certificate (usually
\nthe National Certificate of Education, NCE) say in 2007 will be step(s)
\nahead of a teacher who acquired his in 2006 in the salary scale,
\nnotwithstanding that both were employed the same year. But now, both are
\nbeing promoted solely based on year of employment.<\/p>\n

Presently, the leave grant of these teachers for year 2013 and 2014 has not
\nbeen paid. That of 2012 was only paid by the government after much
\nbickering and pressure from the teachers. Primary school teachers who had
\nretired from the state’s civil service in 1991 till date have not been paid
\ntheir gratuity. Many of them have died while waiting to receive the fruits
\nof their life time labour.<\/p>\n

The state government in an attempt to avoid accepting responsibility and
\nblame has serially made untenable and non cogent excuses. The government
\nhas advance an irresponsible alibi by shifting the blame to local
\ngovernment councils in the state. The excuse of the state government is
\nthat salaries for primary school teachers is funded jointly by the state
\nand local governments and that the state government have always made their
\ncounterpart funds available on time. This excuse on the face of it look
\nsensible, but a critical appraisal of the situation shows that the state
\ngovernment is being economical with the truth.<\/p>\n

It should be stated that the State Joint Local Government Account created
\nby Section 162 (6) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
\nNigeria (as amended) from which the salaries of these teachers are drawn is
\nconstitutionally under the exclusive control of the state government. The
\nquestion is: has governor Godswill Obot Akpabio been remitting funds
\nstanding to the credit of local government councils in the state to them as
\nand when or has he been deducting same? Let Akpabio answer this question
\nwith relevant documents, facts figures and the whole world will know who is
\ntelling the truth and who should be held liable for the suffering of these
\nteachers. This is a challenge.<\/p>\n

Also, the state government has been hiding under the notorious veil of
\nendless “verification exercise” as the reason for delay in payment of
\nsalary to primary school teachers. This is itself ludicrous. What is the
\ngovernment always verifying year in, year out? Presently, the state
\ngovernment is hiding under yet another nebulous verification exercise (this
\ntime biometric) as the reason for not paying these poor teachers their
\nsalaries for the months of June and July. How come that their secondary
\nschools counterparts are not being subjected to the same tormenting
\ntreatment?<\/p>\n

The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) which is legally
\nresponsible for the recruitment and welfare of primary school teachers has
\nbecome a very clandestine and unaccountable entity for “empowering”
\npolitical allies. The board has been severally accused of corruption by
\nteachers and public commentators. A teacher in one of the primary schools
\nin Uyo, the state capital, bluntly told this writer that SUBEB is a trading
\ncenter where only the highest bidder gets attention.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the state branch of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) is almost
\nworse than useless. NUT in Akwa Ibom is anything but a union. Successive
\nleadership of the body seems to be trading away the rights and privileges
\nof primary school teachers for 40 pieces of silver.<\/p>\n

While delivering a paper titled: “Transforming Nigeria’s Economy:
\nOpportunities and Challenges” on Saturday 31st May, 2014 at the Babcock
\nUniversity, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi
\nOkonjo-Iweala, had listed Akwa Ibom State as the first among the 10 highest
\nrevenue receiving states in the country. She put the total amount of
\nallocation to the state from the Federation Account for year 2013 at 260
\nbillion naira. Further analysis of this amount according to the Minister
\nshows that the state allocation during the year exceeded the budgets of
\nmost neighbouring countries like Liberia, Gambia, among others. The state
\nis still leading other states in revenue. The question is; where is our
\nmoney?<\/p>\n

Admittedly, the Godswill Akpabio-led government has made appreciable impact
\nin infrastructural development, but then, it will be wrong to rate and
\nassess the performance of a government without a dispassionate reference to
\nindices like revenue, land mass and population.<\/p>\n

So much has been said about the much publicised “free and compulsory
\neducation” of the Akpabio’s administration, but very little objective
\nattention has been paid to the quality of this education and the welfare of
\nteachers, particularly primary school teachers. For me, the welfare of
\nteachers in the state represents the true face of the free and compulsory
\neducation policy of Governor Akpabio. There are myriads of inadequacies in
\nthat policy ranging from poor infrastructure to lack of proper supervision.
\nBut those are issues for another day.<\/p>\n

It is unthinkable that a man who recently sponsored a Bill and compelled
\nthe State House of Assembly to pass same into law which entitles him to 200
\nmillion naira annual pay in pension with other ostentatious benefits after
\noffice will be owing primary school teachers their stipends. What a sad
\ncommentary, such a wicked world!<\/p>\n

I am not oblivious of the likely reaction of the governor, his yes men and
\npraise singers to this article, but I am more mindful of the verdict of
\nhistory. These teachers have suffered enough, their tears is my zeal. We
\ncannot be talking about uncommon transformation when those who strive to
\nlay a foundation for the next generation are crying to bed with empty
\nstomach.<\/p>\n

A labourer deserves his wages. If not for anything, governor Akpabio should
\nact now in memory and honour of his late mother who was also a primary
\nschool teacher. It will be disastrous to allow the next administration
\ninherit the problems besetting primary school teachers in the state. And
\nthe time to act is now.<\/p>\n

Inibehe Effiong <https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inibehe.effiong<\/a>> is a Human
\nRights Activist. He can be reached via\u00a0inibehe.effiong@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0or
\n+2348065142135<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Make yourself at home.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Available on\u00a0iOS<\/a>and\u00a0Android<\/a><\/div>\n