The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kogi State Council, lamented the poor salaries paid to its members, calling it very ridiculous.
The complaints followed recent salaries paid to teachers in Kogi State, which teachers say are significantly lower than any minimum wage, past or current, without rights.
NUT’s newly elected President, Kogi State Council, Comrade Joel Salifu, expressed the Union’s sentiments during the inauguration of the new officials and the handover ceremony on Tuesday held at the Union Secretariat in Lokoja.
The new union leader, who lamented that primary school teachers in Kogi state receive paltry sums for the sake of salaries, pleaded with federal and state authorities responsible for teacher salaries to rectify the embarrassing situation.
“Teachers are not happy with what they receive in Kogi State. How long are we going to continue like this? Teachers are collecting peanuts as take-home pay despite the current economic quagmire. It is not fair if our leaders are sincere in the management of their employees ”
He called on teachers to put aside ethnic, religious and sectoral considerations and unite to fight for a just path that will ensure their well-being.
Salifu congratulated his predecessor, Thomas Ayodele for the determined and eventful leadership he gave to teachers, despite all the odds and obstacles placed in the way.
Some teachers who spoke at the event complained of receiving less than N 6,000 per month as salaries, despite their salary levels.
They urged the new leadership of the Union to put pressure on the competent authorities to have their payment returned to real wages.