[size=14pt]Oyo, labour in fresh row over alleged computer training scam[/size]

Akin Oyedele, Ibadan


Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress is warming up for another round of battle with the state government over alleged scam deductions from primary school teachers' salary, estimated at millions of naira.




http://odili.net/news/source/2010/feb/4/813.html

The NLC also cited the alleged unfriendly disposition of the government to labour matters, intimidation of labour leaders, poor pay, and government's unending war of attrition with the Nigeria Union of Teachers as as parts of its grouse against the state government.

In the last one month, the NUT and the state government had engaged in series of legal battles following inability to resolve their disagreements at a roundtable.

Indication that labour crisis was looming in the state emerged on Wednesday when the NLC leadership addressed the workers at a congress where almost all the industrial unions and their leaders were represented.

Addressing the press simultaneously while the congress was taken place, Chairman of NLC, Mr. Bashiru Apapa, said that it became necessary for the workers to alert the state about the degenerating state of affairs.

He said that the congress was called following the agitation of workers over their poor pay package when compared with their counterparts in the other South-West states and the refusal of the government to implement 27.5 per cent pay rise for teachers.

The NLC boss said that the state government directed deduction of between N4, 000 and N10, 000 from the salaries of each of the 22, 000 primary school teachers ostensibly for computer training.

Since this was not part of the condition of service of the teachers when they were employed, he said that government should foot the bill if it was desirous of making the teachers computer literate.

According to him, the state government refused to recognise the certificates presented by some of the affected teachers who had undergone similar trainings pursuant to their self development.

Apapa said that the NLC became curious about the real intention of the government when it insisted that only the certificates issued by the information technologists it recommended would be acceptable.

Already, he said that the government had directed Education Secretaries across the Local Governments to ensure the deductions from January and February salaries of the primary school teachers.

Apapa said, "If the government wants to train its teachers to be computer literate, it should have written off the cost. Why should they force the teachers to pay between N4,000 and N10,000.

"We will challenge the action in court. This is a repressive government and we see this deduction as a scam. It is against the fundamental right of the teachers on how or how not to get trained."

The NLC chairman said labour believed that the state government was behind the case instituted by a group of teachers, under the aegis of Akala Teachers Vanguard, against the NUT election held in Akure on January 7.

Despite holding a successful election coordinated by its national body, Apapa said that the government had also refused to fully recognise the elected officials of Nigeria Civil Service Union.

To demonstrate its alleged meddlesomeness in labour affairs, he said that the government was still holding on to the check off dues deducted from the civil servants' salary in the past two and half years.

Apapa said that the NLC would soon start negotiation with the government for improved salaries that would place public workers at par with their counterparts in other parts of the South-West, which he said might trigger another crisis.

Defending the step taken by the government, Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof. Soji Adejumo, said that it was aimed at improving the education of the pupils.

If the government was making efforts to ensure that the pupils were computer-literate, he said that their teachers should also be versed in information technology to be in a better stead.

He said, "Some of them brought bogus certificates claiming that they have acquired IT training elsewhere. We have told such teachers to present themselves before the experts to demonstrate their IT skill.

"A comprehensive computer training will not cost less than N10,000, but we have asked them to pay N4,000 because of the number involved. Nobody gave a blanket order.

"If our children are to be on the world stage, they must be able to compete with their counterparts in America or Europe. If we are to move our education forward, IT must be the focus."

bhoi!! I dont wanna believe ds

The poor suffers in Nigeria while the rich devise more ways to ra/pe the poor. Imagine Akala ra/ping poor teachers over computer training.

AKALA, your waterloo is round the corner. . . .

The gentleman needs more bleaching creams

He wants to settle those who helped rig him with teachers salary. Smart move.