Delta teachers call Okowa’s bluff; strike continues, says NUT

Primary and secondary school teachers rose from a long meeting today (Wednesday, March 22, 2017) held by the State Wing Executive Council of the Delta State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) with a resolve to call the bluff of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, decrying his high handedness in handling the strike action declared by NUT, and affirming that the strike continues.

State NUT Secretary, Comrade Joe Iyalekhue told Banner Media Network when asked about the resolution of the teachers after the emergency meeting that the meeting affirmed that the strike should continue because there was nothing to sufficiently show that any of the teachers’ demands has been met.

Governor Okowa

At the teachers’ meeting, tempers rose with most of speakers denouncing the state government over its overbearing attitude to the teachers’ demands. The teachers expressed their displeasure with the show of power by Goveror Okowa who they accused of harassing teachers with security agents and thugs and forcing them to go to school when there is a trade dispute.

Comrade A. L. Okogba, NUT state publicity secretary said: “We expected the state government to call for negotiation, and not to harass the teachers with security men.”

Reacting to the Governor’s claim that NUT leadership is not telling their members truth about the situation, Comrade Iyalekhue said it is the governor that is not saying the truth. “NUT Chairman has no reason not to tell NUT members the truth. The outcome of today’s meeting shows that the members believe in the NUT leadership.”

Answering another question, Iyalekhue secondary school teachers are not on strike over salary, asking: “Is it only salary that people strike over?”

He said secondary school teachers are on strike over: Non-payment of promotion arrears, non-implementation of approved and released promotion, non-payment of promotion arrears of secondary school teachers, non- payment of retired teachers’ benefits among others, which affect secondary school teachers.

Comrade Iyalekhue described as uncalled for the resort by the state government officials to harassment of teachers with security agents, pointing out that the present situation does not call for that. “It is overzealousness on the part of the officials who are trying to please their master.  You don’t need police, you don’t need thugs. All it requires is sitting on the dialogue table and talk,” the NUT secretary declared.

He added that the state government is showing that it has strength, that it has the police, the army to use against teachers. “But we have God on our side,” Iyalekhue said.