by Nosa Eresoyen, Asaba

The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Delta State are currently trading words over  unpaid teachers’ salaries and the strike action embarked upon by the latter. 

 For the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), the teachers strike action is a regrettable development, and it blamed the  NUT exhibiting what it described as poor leadership and insensitivity  to the current paucity of funds bedeviling the economy 

 In a statement signed by ALGON's Chairman, Mr. Itiako Ikpoko, the NUT was urged to  urgently reconsider the “negative consequences” of its industrial action and call off the indefinite strike it commenced last Thursday. 

 ALGON describing the action by the NUT as “ill-advised”,  noted that the teachers’ union indictment of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the allegedly 

 reduction of teachers’ salaries to 81%, was “incorrect”, adding that the present state of the Nigeria economy had adversely affected the monthly revenue of all Local 

 Governments which are currently weighed down by backlog of salaries, stressing that both primary school teachers and staff of the Local Governments had been  beneficiaries of local government statutory allocations. 

 But in a swift reaction, the Secretary-General of the NUT, Mr. Joe Iyalakhue disagreed with ALGON leadership, saying “Your association needs prayers” to overcome its unpaid workers’ salaries. 

 He noted that the decision for the teachers to embark on strike action was sequel to the failed promises by the state government and its inability to ensure teachers  at both primary/secondary schools were paid as at when due, and described ALGON’s interpretation of the strike action as a “charade and lip service without the  interest and welfare of the unpaid teachers at heart. 

 “Those teachers not been paid for several months are human beings with responsibilities, where would they feed from? ALGON’s statements is  inhuman and insensitive” he added.

Iyalakhue further dismissed speculations that hunger was the cause of the death of  three primary school teachers who died in  Aniocha South Local Government, that he  explained rather that many of the unpaid teachers took loans, and since they cannot pay, their creditors are threatening them with “juju" to recover their money.  

 Our reporter gathered  that thirteen council staff in Isiokolo, Ethiope West Local Government Area are  facing embarassment  over barbing saloons they  rented for business. 

Speaking to our reporter, one of the council staffs, (name withheld) said “we took to barbing for survival and we bought our equipment on “barb and pay”, the council  is owing us thirteen months, and we are not getting customers as it were”.