Borno state Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has directed the Head of Service Alhaji Mohammed Hassan to suspend 42 primary school teachers for allegedly absconding from their duty posts in Gamborun Ngala local government area of the state for twenty four months.
The governor gave the directive Wednesday while delivering his Democracy Day celebration speech at Ramat Maiduguri following his Sunday unscheduled working visit to Gamboru Ngala to inspect schools and other projects in the area.
He governor said out of 62 teachers registered in the nominal role only 11 were present.
“To my dismay, the head master 11 teachers in the school in the last two years. This is very obnoxious and I have directed the suspension of the 42 teachers who were not on ground,” Zulum said.
However, the state chairman Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Borno state Council, Comrade Jubril Muhammed said the teachers’ were actually absent at the time of the governor’s visit but their action was not deliberate.
Comrade Jibril further said that the teachers in Gamboru Ngala LGA usually work on two weeks shift agreement between themselves due to the Insurgency.
“The first sets of teachers were deployed to the liberated LGCs while those that are substituting them every two weeks are working in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Gamboru Ngala from IDPs camps in the state capital, Maiduguri.
“It is not possible for all the teachers to be on the ground at the same time because of the current challenges. We also lack adequate teachers to cater for the educational services in both the LGAs and IDPs camps at the same time,” Muhammed said.
