Four among the 14 governorship candidates for the 2023 general elections in Kwara state on Wednesday identified teachers’ welfare as their priority programme to be pursued if they are elected into power.
Speaking differently at a debate organized by the Joint Kwara Labour Congress in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, the governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP) and the Action Alliance (AA) unanimously agreed that teachers are key stakeholders in education development of the state.
According to the state PDP governorship candidate, Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, who spoke about salary disparity between teachers in the employment of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the state Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), pledged that his administration would ensure amicable resolution of the matter for sustainable development if elected.
The governorship candidate of the AA, Barrister Dauda Salman Magaji, in his own submission, said that Kwara state teachers would be treated fairly and justly if he is elected into office as state governor.
Also, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem of the NNPP, who was a former vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin, said that his administration would make education a priority if elected.
The NNPP flag bearer also said that he would fight corruption in all sectors, saying, “We can’t be free from corruption unless the head itself is free. We will create infrastructures through investment especially investment from outside”.
The Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Abubakar Basambo, said that if elected as the governor of Kwara state, his administration would invest over N1 billion in local government so as to fight poverty.
“I assure you that we will move 30,000 minimum wages to 100,000”, he said.
In his speech at the event, the NLC Chairman, Comrade Issa Ore, said that the debate was organized to enable Kwara State workers decide on who to vote for in the next general elections.
“It has been our practice in Labour circle that when it is time for election, we call all the aspirants irrespective of the status. We invite all the gubernatorial candidates so that workers will be able to know who they are voting for. They will be able to know the concept and all what the aspirants have for them.
“We believe all of them are major candidates in as much as we invite all of them. Whether they come or not, the workers in the state have heard from those that are present” he said.
