Lagos teachers suspend strike

Students of public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State have been asked to return to their schools following the suspension of strike by teachers

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Lagos State Chapter, announced the suspension of the two-day old strike on Tuesday night.

The NUT Chairman, Samson Idowu, made the announcement at the end of the union’s meeting with the state governor, Babatunde Fashola, in Ikeja.

The teachers had on September 24 declared an indefinite strike to press home the implementation of their 27.5 per cent peculiar allowance.

“Following the resolutions reached with the Lagos State Government, the NUT has resolved to go back to work,’’ Mr. Idowu said on telephone.

A member of the State Executive Committee of the union, Mary Ikhabomeh, said that the suspension is “conditional’’.

Ms. Ikhabomeh said the governor promised to commence the payment of the allowance by January 2013.

“Our governor has promised that he would implement our demands in Jan. 2013 and that is why we have decided to give him a chance,” she said.

The NUT National President, Michael Olukoya, had on July 10 directed teachers in 19 states, including Lagos, to commence an indefinite strike if the allowance was not paid by the end of August.

The National Council on Education, chaired by the Minister of Education with state commissioners for education as members, had in 2008 approved a teachers’ salary structure with a 27.5 per cent allowance.