NUT - News Agency Of Nigeria

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jul, Mon, 2025

Kebbi Govt. earmarks N6.5bn for schools’ renovation, supply of furniture

73 total views today

By Muhammad Lawal

Gov. Nasir Idris of Kebbi, says the State Government has earmarked N6.5 billion for renovation of primary and secondary schools and supply of furniture in its 2025 budget.

Idris disclosed this at the opening of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.

He added that the present administration had also purchased books worth N2.7 billion to be distributed to students free.

“I am the happiest person today, I have cause to thank God because people who understand the importance of education are here in Kebbi.

“I am happy to inform you that Kebbi is operating a free education system to ensure access to formal education by all in the state.

“We have also improved the boarding school feeding to enable our students to stay in their respective schools,” he said.

The governor added that his administration had reviewed medical doctors remunerations to be at par with what the federal government was paying to doctors.

This, according to him, is part of efforts to curb the menace of brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector.

In agriculture, Idris disclosed that his administration had procured 520 trucks of fertilisers and distributed them to farmers for free.

He added that 10,000 tillers solar powered pumping machines were also procured and distributed to farmers to boost dry season framing.

In his remarks, the NUT President, Mr Audu Titus-Amba, commended the governor for the legacies he left behind in the NUT.

Titus-Amba identified one of the legacies as the extension of the years of service for teachers from 60 to 65 years.

“If not for the extension of the years of service for teachers, I wouldn’t have been here today; I would have long retired,” he said.

He described the emergence of Idris as governor of Kebbi as divine and a blessing to the state.

While thanking Idris for elevating six teachers to the rank of Permanent Secretaries, the NUT president argued that the people of Kebbi did not make a mistake of electing a teacher to be their leader.

He described Kebbi as a “second home” for teachers, adding that members of the union would continue to pray and support the governor to succeed.

Also, Dr Halima Bande, Commissioner, Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education, commended the governor for the huge investment in the education sector.

Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji-Na-Yelwa, the commissioner urged Idris to sustain the investment to ensure a better future for all children in the state.

Earlier, the acting Chairman of NUT in the state, Alhaji Usman Koko, also commended the governor for being an education and teacher-friendly governor.

According to him, Idris has recorded significant achievements in the last two years in office.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NEC meeting was held in Kebbi in honour of the governor, who was the immediate past president of the union.

While in NUT, Idris served as the NUT State Chairman in Kebbi and later elected the National Treasurer of the union.

He later became the National President of NUT while serving at the same time as the Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, before he was elected the governor of Kebbi. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai

Wike meets area council chairmen, NUT, NANs over teachers’ strike

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jul, Wed, 2025

Metro

Wike meets area council chairmen, NUT, NANs over teachers’ strike

223 total views today

By Philip Yatai

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, will meet with chairmen of FCT area councils, leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Nigeria Students (NANs) on Thursday.

The meeting, according to a statement by NANs in Abuja on Wednesday, is to finalise modalities for the reopening of all public primary schools in the FCT.

The statement was signed by NANs National President, Olushola Oladoja and the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa.

The association explained that it had earlier resolved to stage a mass protest Wednesday morning at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat.

It added that its leadership was invited to a high-level engagement at the Department of State Services (DSS) Headquarters, where the issues at hand were thoroughly discussed in the interest of national security and students’ welfare.

It said that the first meeting at the DSS paved the way for a second strategic meeting with the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on FCT, Muktar Betara.

NANs said that the engagement revealed the root causes of the ongoing industrial action by the NUT and the efforts made thus far by the Wike-led FCTA.

It added that a third meeting was held with Wike on Tuesday, where the minister explained the issues at hand.

“That the FCT remains the only unit of the federation operating full local government autonomy, hence all salary payments, including that of primary school teachers, are the sole responsibility of the area councils.

“The FCT Administration is not directly responsible for the backlog of teachers’ salaries and therefore should not be held solely accountable for the inadequacies of the area councils.

“In a show of responsibility and commitment to resolving the crisis, Wike intervened by proposing a bailout—with FCTA offering to pay 60 per cent of the outstanding arrears while the area councils cover the remaining 40 per cent.

“When it became clear that this arrangement was not yielding desired results, the FCT minister withheld the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the area councils for the months of May and June, with a plan to utilize these funds to make up the 40 per cent requested of area council to clear the outstanding arrears owed to teachers.

“That based on this intervention, it was expected that the two-month arrears withheld be ready before the end of the week,” it said.

The association said that based on the productive engagements and emerging progress, it hereby suspends the planned protest while keeping close tabs on the implementation of all resolutions reached.

“We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian students and ensuring that no child is denied access to education due to governmental lapses,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza