Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State Wing, Comrade Raji Oladimeji Ismail, in this interview by SAM NWAOKO, speaks on a number of issues of concern to teachers in the state and sundry matters.
Years ago, teachers were not just considered as being vibrant as a union, they were also seen as confrontational. This has changed over the years. Should we attribute this to liberalism brought about by democracy or is it because governments are now performing better?
It used to be different when you look at where we were coming from, especially during the era of zero allocation when our activities were completely grounded. Teachers at that time were moving cap in hand, begging for money and support to be able to sustain their lives. It was so terrible because the purpose for which autonomy was approved was antithetical to development at that time. There was no salary, no promotion and teachers were being owed about 10 months and so on and so forth. It was a difficult time for teachers but gradually the obstacles are being removed and it is a different story now.
I can talk about the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo State. There is an edict that established the two agencies of government under education: the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). According to the edict, teachers must have a representative on the two boards. Successive governments in the state didn’t take this seriously but when Governor Makinde came, he made it mandatory for this to be strictly adhered to and so, from here, we have a representative in both TESCOM and SUBEB. These representatives are reporting back to teachers and they are taking decisions together with teachers such that if a need arises that a teacher commits an offence and action is intended, we have advocates at the boards who would speak for teachers. That is working for us. We also take decisions on policies as they affect teachers. So, we are part of the decision-making process and with these we are able to report appropriately to our members the needed feedback.
Apart from that there are other issues which Governor Makinde has also addressed. Formerly, teachers in primary schools retired only at Level 13. They were stagnated at that level for some inexplicable reasons. But when Governor Makinde came, we took this matter to him and he himself was surprised that a teacher would have to retire only at Level 13. The circular which created this anomaly was produced and he set up a panel – chaired by the Head of Service – which looked into it. It was discovered that it was only primary school teachers out of the entire Oyo State workforce that was affected by that policy. They removed that obstacle and now teachers in primary schools like their counterparts in secondary schools as well as other civil servants in the state can rise to Level 16 and Level 17. This is a great thing that has happened to teachers in Oyo State, and it is outside of the fact that salaries, leave bonuses and promotions are regularly being taken care of as and when due. So, if there are no issues, what are we fighting for? Apart from that, our activities are being guided by the principles of Education International which says that if you must go on strike or before you do anything, you must consult with them because we have gone scientific in unionism unlike the olden days.
Also, the recruitment of teachers in the state was without controversy. It was envisaged that teachers through the NUT might have raised objection to certain actions in that exercise. How did this exercise manage to go the way it went?
The exercise was seamless. We had not been having it so easy in Oyo State because in those days, when government recruited they would not want to see the teachers having a hand or a say in the process. Teachers were relegated in such matters but Seyi Makinde came, gave us that recognition and said if we must do anything that has to do with education in Oyo State, NUT must be involved. How do you shave somebody’s head without him being present? So, in the recruitment exercise, he instructed the agencies and the Head of Service that the NUT must be part of the recruitment procedure and other things. So, out of the three critical stakeholders that were involved in the exercise, NUT was among. We conducted the CBT together and we supervised and we offered our own advice and suggestions and these paid off. So, it was so seamless and it went without any hitch or problems. Even during the skilled interview after the CBT, we all sat together because we reasoned that if there would be an issue then the experience of the NUT in such matters would be invaluable. That was what we did.
In the end, 7,500 were recruited to TESCOM, 7,000 teachers to SUBEB and in the last three years, the Seyi Makinde administration has also recruited 5,000 teachers. This brings the total number to 19,000 plus teachers recruited. Apart from this, 100 caregivers are in the works for recruitment for primary schools, and we also have 2,500 non-teaching staff apart from the day guards. This is a huge amount and we have it on record that no state in Nigeria has ever done that in the last four decades. It has not been seen that a single administration injected about 20,000 workers in the teaching system in Nigeria. it is unprecedented.
As unionists and as those working to achieve perfection in the teaching profession in Oyo State, would you say you have enough now or you still want the government to look into some areas, despite all that you said the government has done?
Shortage of teachers is a global problem. Just as we had in Oyo State they have the same problem in Kwara, Kano, Kogi, Delta and Anambra states. So as we are complaining that we have shortage here in Nigeria, they are also complaining in Ghana and in South Africa and in the other nations on the continent. So, it is a global problem. Going by the statistical data released by the federal ministry of education, that of Oyo State has been reduced to some extent but we are not yet there. There was a time we had about 50,000 teachers in the system but as at now, we are just close to 30,000. But with this recruitment, we are moving up and the gap has reduced, placing us above 40,000. So, in Oyo State we are not there yet but we are on our way there and we are glad that the state government is not resting on its oars in this regard.
Leaving Oyo State now, we recall that the Supreme Court recently gave a judgement on local government autonomy that many believe would impact on how teachers are treated at the local government level. It brought back the memory of zero allocation. Does the NUT have any fears over the Supreme Court judgement with regards to zero allocation days? Are you taking any action against the fears?
At first, when the judgement was given, we had fears. We had apprehension and we feared that we must not go back to the kind of situation we had in those days when the purpose for which local government autonomy was given became antithetical, and culminated to huge suffering for teachers. We didn’t want that. We didn’t want a return of a situation like that so we raised our fears about the judgement. The national office of the NUT in conjunction with three other stakeholders at their national offices namely: the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE); the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and the Medical and Health Workers Union, sat and concurred that teachers must not be punished like before. Everybody knew what happened then. That was the era when you saw signs on houses for rent which read: “This house is not for teachers”. It was that bad. Then, we had a situation in which husband and wife were both teachers and the family had to resort to begging to be able to feed. We do not pray for a repeat of that kind of thing.
So, with that in mind unions came together at the national level to do something, and even the presidency also agreed that teachers must not suffer this time round. So, we agreed that homegrown approach should be fashioned out to tackle this problem. The stakeholders resolved that the salary of primary school teachers should be on first-line charge. The same thing happened among the four giant labour unions who also agreed on this. In Oyo State we did it. That is what they resolved to do while they were in Abuja. The moment they pay our salary, and we see other developments in the primary education sector, then there is no problem. But if you refuse… In actual fact, our agitations are not just because of salaries but for the development of primary education such that we will not have dilapidated schools, promotions pending and leave allowances unpaid. So, in Oyo State and at the federal level, they have fashioned out a homegrown approach that, not minding the judgement, salaries of primary school teachers should be on first line charge. So, we are happy about that.
Talking about infrastructure, how much would you rate the state government in its infrastructure drive in Oyo State?
By our own assessment, we know that no government will be scored 100 percent in whatever developmental project they are embarking upon. But all I want to say is that the state government is trying. If successive governments had been doing it, there wouldn’t have been time for us to complain. If somebody had done 20 percent out of 100, that would have been out of it and when another person comes he would start from where the previous person had stopped. However, the presence of peace is not the absence of agitation. We are not saying that we do not have schools that do not need renovation and so on, but the NUT is to play an advisory role to government. We move round and do our assessment and then sit down and put it in black and white and send to the appropriate authorities. This we have been doing. Just recently, they invited us that under BESDA, that 105 schools are being constructed and that they would soon be inaugurated. Then, apart from the state government, they have also picked another set of 35 schools that would also be renovated. If these are out of the way out of the so many schools that we have, we know that the number, on a daily basis, would be reducing rather than leave everything without it being attended to. So, we are quite aware that there are schools that need renovation and the like, but the government is working to make sure that they fix them and do the needful.
The poor state of the economy has affected everybody. The inflation is biting really hard. How are you coping in this current economic hardship?
On this, I must appreciate God because at a particular time, we had been at the receiving end. There had been a time when you would not even like to associate yourself with teachers, because when you see us – the appearance, the dressing and everything, you would know that this particular person must be a teacher. That has actually taught us lessons, broadened our knowledge and we have learnt from our past mistakes. We have a scheme that is almost 28 years now that we call End Well Scheme. When you are exiting, you tell us and whatever you contribute, you get double of it. If you contributed N100,000 you get N200,000. That we have been doing this especially to prepare for tomorrow and plan for our retiring members. There is no way that you will retire and you get your pensions and gratuity immediately. It is only in the current administration that it now takes a month or two months that you will be getting your pension. Gratuity takes time. So, these are some of the things that we are doing. Apart from that, hardly will you see a teacher who will not belong to a cooperative society. That has been a kind of revolving scheme for us, where you can run to and get money to solve immediate and long-term issues. It has always been a kind of rewarding experience for us.
So, just like any other civil servant or any other worker in Oyo State and elsewhere, we have our own challenges too. School is not a place you will open and teachers will say they will not go. So, on a daily basis, from Monday to Friday, you just have to go to your school whether you like it or not. It is possible for somebody in the ministry or any other department to have a staggered arrangement of coming to work. But that is not the case with a teacher. Teachers will go to remote areas; they will go to the rural areas; they will pay exorbitant transport fares and spend money on accommodation. So, in that regard, we are appealing to the government to, at least, compensate our teachers for this job that we are doing. It is mandatory, it is a must that you should be at your school from Monday till Friday, you have to excuse. So, that is just it. It is an appeal.
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