The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kaduna chapter, has expressed frustration over the delay in paying the new minimum wage, which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2024. The state government has yet to begin payment.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday and Monitored By The News Chronicle, the NUT Chairman in Kaduna, Ibrahim Dalhatu, warned that the union might go on an indefinite strike if the state government fails to pay the new wage by August.
“If they disappoint us, we’ll have no other choice than to go on strike,” he said. “That’s the only language they seem to understand.”
Dalhatu said it was unfair that primary school teachers and other local government workers in Kaduna are being left out of the new wage payments, especially when other states like Lagos, Zamfara, and Oyo have already started paying.
He explained that although the government keeps promising to pay, no real action has been taken.
Dalhatu also said that during a recent meeting with government officials and consultants handling staff verification, it was agreed that any worker who failed to complete the screening would not be paid.
He noted that 80 to 90 percent of the verification has already been completed digitally. Those who missed it will be given one last chance to take part in the screening before payments begin.
Dalhatu insisted that the government must finish the verification and start paying the N70,000 minimum wage by the end of July. “Our agreement is clear August is the deadline,” he added.
He condemn the government for not showing enough concern for the welfare of teachers and warned that strike action might be the only way to make the government act.
Efforts to get comments from the Kaduna State Government were not successful at the time of this report.
