Teachers’ disengagement: Kaduna Assembly sets up 7-man c’ttee

By AbdulRaheem Aodu & Usman Ibn A. Lapai

 

Kaduna

Kaduna state House of Assembly at the weekend lamented last week’s attack on its officers and the complex by members of the Nigerian Labour Congress, National Union of Teachers and Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, causing destruction to properties worth millions of naira.
This is just as the House has set up a 7-man committee, led by Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Idris Abduwahab, to look at the grievances of the teachers and labour, all the questions in the competency test and proffer advice that would help improve the educational system in the state.
The committee is expected to submit its report this week.
The workers and unionists had during a rally led by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba from NLC secretariat to the state Assembly complex last Wednesday to protest plan by the state government to sack 21, 786 primary school teachers, allegedly attacked the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Home Affairs, Hon. Nuhu Goroh Shadalafia, and Chairman House Committee on Establishment, Hon. Hassan Abdulkadir, who were sent by the House to listen to their grievances and report back to the lawmakers.
According to Hon. Shadalafia, they were both lucky to escape being lynched by the protesters, who broke the glass wall of the Assembly main office, pursued them and vandalised cars and other properties within the complex.
“The House received notice that NLC, NUT and NULGE will be coming to the House to protest and I was selected with Hon. Hassan Abdulkadir to receive the labour leaders and listen to their grievances.
“The unionists and protesters turned violent, I was assaulted, bruised and had to run for my dear life, in the process I lost my HTC mobile phone as I escaped back into the Assembly main building. Same with Hon. Abdulkadir, he was also assaulted, bruised and had to escape, during which the leadership could not say anything to the union members who attacked us.
“They pursued us and we both escaped through different routes to an office inside the Assembly, where we were held hostage for over one hour before they were later dispersed by the police and House of Assembly workers,” he said.
The lawmaker noted that none of them received a petition or complainT from their constituency on the planned sack of primary school teachers, while urging the teachers and workers to always follow laid down procedure in expressing their grievances, saying the planned disengagement of teachers was not yet concluded.
“Nobody has been given three months in lieu of notice, nobody has been stopped from going to school, nobody has been asked to pack out of their quarters. The House is taking note of the damaged facility, and they would report to the state government. I have formally written a letter of complaint on what transpired, the leadership of the House and state government would decide what to do,” Shadalafia stated.

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