The Local Education Authority (LEA) primary school teachers and staff of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, weekend, said they have turned to farming, traders, artisans amongst others over lack of payment of a backlog of arrears and other allowances.
The teachers, who are yet to receive their backlog have been sitting at home for weeks.
Consequently, they have resorted to farming, trading, nail cutting and others to make ends meet.
The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, had approved N4 billion for the implementation of the minimum wage, backlog of arrears and other allowances for the striking primary school teachers and staff of the six area councils. However, they are yet to receive their payment till date.
Pupils in the FCT are seen loitering around and hawking goods in the streets as they could not complete their second term examination due to the strike.
One of the teachers at LEA Kubwa, who is also a nail technician at Saburi community in Bwari area council, Madam Tina Okezie, said the school could not finish the second term examination before they started the strike and wondered how the pupils will cope in their academics.
She said the backlog and arrears was not implemented in the March salary, adding that she doubts if they will resume with others in April.
“I heard that the strike will still continue and I think teachers are planning to protest anytime soon,” she said.
She said she started the nail business because she couldn’t rely on the teaching job because of the delay of payment of their backlogs and she has to fend for her family.
“The money we are been owed is not enough to feed our families, talk much more owing us for months. How do they expect us to feed our families and cater for our children?,” she asked.
Another LEA teacher in Kuje, Danladi Shokwo, who is also into farming said he started the business because the merger salary he collects in the teaching job is not enough to fend for his family and their arrears is delayed .
A senior management staff of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), who preferred anonymity stated that the minister gave the approval on Wednesday after the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) forwarded the total sums needed for the payment to him.
He said the money was yet to hit the accounts of the six area councils and that the unions were demanding that the treasury department of the FCTA should pay the money directly to the accounts of the LEAs across the six area councils.