It is a universal truism that the best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he or she never knows he/she is in prison.
The situation of primary school teachers in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja can best be described as being in economic prison, because the systematic impunity of the six council chairmen has subjected these patriotic citizens to a horrible economic state.
However, the only reason these teachers cannot be described as prisoners is that in the face of their current plight, the teachers do know they are in “prison” (bad conditions of service), and that’s precisely why they are willing to do anything and everything to escape includes strikes, protests, and even abandoning the profession.
According to Isaac Ityav, a concerned Nigerian in Abuja, the case of the Local Government Authority teachers in FCT could be likened to that of a prisoner who is not ignorant of his imprisonment.
This proverb obviously illuminates the FCTA’s relationship with FCT primary school teachers considering the bad working conditions such as financial deprivation, broken promises, and dilapidated infrastructure, among others.
“The most evident aspect of this “prison” is the persistent non-payment of salaries, minimum wage arrears, and other entitlements. Teachers are denied their basic livelihood, making it impossible to meet their needs and creating constant financial anxiety.
“Agreements with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) are routinely disregarded by the Area Council Chairmen, creating a cycle of distrust and frustration. This lack of respect for signed agreements reinforces the feeling of being trapped in an exploitative system,” Ityav stressed.
Ityav further emphasised that beyond salaries, the physical “prison” of inadequate classrooms, lack of teaching materials, and a generally unconducive learning environment further degrades the teachers’ working conditions.
“The constant need to protest and beg for what is rightfully theirs strips teachers of their professional dignity, forcing them into a state of perpetual struggle,” he noted.
Read also: Abuja teachers’ strike: NLC to issue 7-day ultimatum to FCTA
The reason to escape
Going-by the logic of proverbial prisoner, the FCT primary school teachers are aware of their dire situation, hence, it is in their place to seek for escape by whatever means.
The teachers’ repeated strikes, which sometimes lasted for weeks, are not just demands for better pay but a desperate attempt to “escape” the unbearable conditions.
When the teachers barricade government offices, it is a stark declaration that they recognised their “prison” and are actively seeking release.
The systematic impunity of area council chairmen
The FCTA, through the area councils, unwittingly employs strategies that, rather than keeping teachers docile, actually highlight their “imprisonment” and provoke their “escape”:
Ityav reiterated that the council authorities diffused responsibilities to perpetually keep the teachers in bondage.
“The back-and-forth blame game between the area councils and the FCTA about who is responsible for paying teachers creates a sense of helplessness and lack of clear authority.
“This “no landlord” situation reinforces the feeling of being trapped in a system where no one takes accountability,” he said.
Moreover, the area councils adopt a system of approving funds after protracted strikes, or making partial payments, a subtle measure to blindfold the teachers of the reality on ground.
For instance, the N70,000 national minimum wage was implemented in teachers’ April salary, and in May it was removed and teachers were paid with old rate except for Bwari Area Council that paid both Area council workers and teachers the May salary with the NMW.
The teachers in the other five area councils were not paid the N70,000 minimum wage in their May salary.
The looming danger
If the FCTA fails to address the teachers requests, Nigeria’s seat of power will witness mass resignation of teachers, and this will cripple the primary education system.
Research has shown that a breakdown in basic education has far-reaching consequences for societal development and stability.
As it stands, public primary schools and primary health care centres are grounded for over two months and the area council chairmen seem not to be worried about this ugly situation at all.
Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike, minister of FCT in a media parley recently promised to utilise alternative solutions to bring an end to this lingering problem bedeviling the entire FCT.
How quick and true Wike will make his promise is unknown as the council chairmen continue with their systematic impunity unchecked.
