Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
There is anger in Anambra State following decision of the State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to ban members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) from holding meetings in the State.
Governor Soludo, through the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, had placed an indefinite ban on all meetings of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Anambra State, with effect from Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
According to her, the ban was as a result of what she described as a “show of shame” exhibited by members of the Union during their State Wing Executive Committee meeting held at the Teachers’ House in Awka, the State capital, on Tuesday June 6, 2023.
The Commissioner further noted that ban was predicated on the need to avoid breakdown of law and order in the state, while adding that “the ban remains in force, pending the settlement of the internal wranglings bedeviling the Union in Anambra State, by the National body of the Nigeria Union of Teachers.”
She also cautioned everyone to be guided accordingly.
The ban, Ikengaonline learnt, has continued to generate reactions from both teachers in the state and residents.
Some described the ban as a breach of democracy and infringement on the fundamentals human rights of the Anambra teachers, others perceive it as a step in the right direction, arguing that the Union in the State has since been headed by a retired teacher who refused to leave office since after his retirement, on the claim of being given an extension of service by former Governor Willie Obiano.
Some, in their reactions, also lamented that the teaching profession was becoming unsustainable because of the very low pay, urging the government to look into the problem.
