Outrage greeted the summary dismissal from service of five primary school teachers in Enugu State for allegedly complaining to Governor Peter Mbah about the non-payment of the N30,000 minimum wage to primary school teachers.

The Guardian gathered that more than five years after the national minimum wage was approved, primary school teachers in Enugu state have not benefited from it. This is as the wage had since been implemented in other cadres of the civil service.

Not prepared to continue to die in silence, the five primary school teachers had recently summoned courage and sought an audience with Governor Mbah who allegedly complained about the non-payment of the minimum wage to primary school teachers among other issues.

Mbah had recently approved the payment of the minimum wage to the teachers which was reflected in their February 2024 salary that elicited wild jubilations.

However, while the rest of the teachers affected by the approval are relishing in joy, the five teachers who braved the odds to fight the implementation are reeling in pain as their jobs have now been severed by the State Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB).

The ENSUBEB in the letter dismissing the five teachers had considered their action “a serious offence against the provisions of the Public Service Rules”, stressing that their action was also “an embarrassment to the Board and unbecoming of a public officer”.

One of the letters spotted by the Guardian signed by Mrs Ugwu Evelyn on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the commission, Gabriel Ajah, further accused the affected teachers of absence from duty without a written permission; breach of communication channels in the public service; insubordination and contravention of provisions of public service rules by engaging in serious acts of misconducts.

The letter stated that the decision to sack the teachers was part of the resolutions of the ENSUBEB full board meeting held on March 5. It added that their dismissals took effect, March 1, 2024 and urged them to handover all government property in their possession to their head teachers “within 24 hours of receipt of this letter”.

Condemning the action of the board, a Civil Rights Advocate, James Ogbonna stated that there was no justification to warrant the punishment of the five teachers for complaining about their minimum wage.

“I don’t see any justification in what the state government has done. How can you just wake up and sack somebody because he/she went to the governor who of course is the father of the state to complain about issues concerning him/her? The governor opened his door to them, listened to them and felt there was something he could do and he did.

“You never queried the teachers, you never set up a panel to try them, they did not steal but just because they complained. We are not in a military era where people should not voice their grievances. The state government should rescind this decision and stop putting the lives of innocent people in danger”, he stated.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) yesterday distanced themselves from any planned protest against the state government on the development.

State Chairman of the NUT, Theophilus Nweke, told reporters that it was unconscionable for anyone to think of embarking on any form of protest against the state governor, whom he said had demonstrated readiness to confront their challenges.

He had expressed surprise that, “none of the dismissed teachers sought his opinion nor that of the leadership of ENSUBEB before carrying out any of their actions.

“The five-point requests we made to the governor are receiving adequate attention, four have already been implemented and the fifth one is underway, therefore, only them can explain the reasons for their action.”

He advised the teachers to reciprocate the governor’s gesture by being dedicated to their duties and not engage in any frivolities or make themselves willing tools for any person or group seeking cheap popularity. (The Guardian)

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