The Ogun State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has embarked on an indefinite strike over the state government’s failure to pay their peculiar allowances.

The state’s NUT Chairman, Mr. Dare Ilekoya, announced the commencement of the strike. According to him, Ogun was one of the 13 states yet to effect payment of the allowances.

“Teachers in both secondary and primary schools in Ogun should stay at home with effect from June 1,” he ordered.

Ilekoya said that the state government had, in August 2008, signed an agreement with the union to implement an increase of 27.5 percent of their basic salary as peculiar allowance. However, the agreement was implemented between January 2010 and January 2011, after which there was an “abrupt stoppage of the allowance.”

“NUT’s efforts to make the government see reason have not yielded any fruit and, therefore, we cannot continue to remain a laughing stock,” Ilekoya said.

“We are ready to bark and bite until we see that teachers’ demand on the issue of 27.5 percent allowance is actualised in Ogun.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. John Odebela, said: “Let us wait and see whether they will commence the strike or not. If by Monday, our teachers are not in class, then you can say that teachers are on strike in Ogun.”

http://telegraphng.com/2013/06/ogun-state-teachers-embark-on-strike/