Abia state have embarked on Primary and secondary school teachers in Abia state have embarked on a three days warning strike to press the state government to pay them their arrears of salaries ranging from three to four months. It was observed that primary school teachers in the state are being owed salary arrears from February while their counterparts in the secondary school system are owed since January. The primary and secondary schools in the state were scheduled to reopen on Monday April 18, 2016, but was shifted one week ahead generally believed to be a delay tactics by government to enable source for funds to pay the teachers. On Monday, April 25th after one week, the schools resumed with the arrears still pending, which forced the leadership of Nigerian Union of Teachers [NUT] in the state to order the teachers to embark on a three day warning strike to press home their demand.
However when this reporter visited the Abia state secretariat of NUT at Awkuzu Lane Umuahia, the chairman of the union, Comrade Chizobem Akparanta, was said to be away from the office. Reacting to the development, the Head Teacher of Amuzukwu Primary School 11, Mrs Joyce Emele, told newsmen in her School that the NUT ordered teachers to stay away for three days as the beginning of a warning strike.
Mrs Emele said that after the three days warning strike, “If the state government failed to do something about the arrears of salary then the union told us that they may have no choice than to embark on an indefinite strike”. Emele corroborated the report that Primary School teachers were owed three months salary while secondary school teachers are owed four months including promotion and leave allowance.
At Amuzukwu Girls Secondary School, the Principal, Mrs Ijeoma Nwoko, said the NUT held an executive meeting the previous day and continued the next day with a general meeting where the decision of what to do would be taken.
Nwoko said that she could not attend the meeting because of the on-going renovation in the school which she had to supervise, but sent some of her staff who she said were yet to return to give her feedback on the outcome of the meeting. She said, “We have resumed normal classes. We came to school yesterday and today, but NUT had an executive meeting yesterday and informed us of a meeting today. My own staff that went for the meeting have not come back to brief me”. At the Methodist Girls High School, Umueze, the principal Rev Chinyere Iroegbu said the school is in session because it is under the control of Methodist Church and not under government control, having been returned to them by government.
She however clarified that all government staff that are still in the school who are being paid by government would have no choice than to join their counterparts in the system if there is strike by the NUT.

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