Teachers’ Salary: NUT laments 4-year delay, demands Buhari-era pay deal
Four years after the Federal Government approved a special salary structure for teachers in basic and secondary schools, the National Union of Teachers, NUT, has accused the authorities of leaving the long-awaited pay…
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is the country's main labour body representing primary and secondary school teachers, and has long campaigned for better remuneration to address poor pay, welfare neglect and the attendant exodus of qualified teachers from the profession. The special salary structure at the centre of this dispute was approved under the Buhari administration in response to years of agitation over teachers being among the lowest-paid public servants despite the demands of the job, but implementation has stalled, leaving the policy largely on paper.
The union's renewed complaint, raised around World Teachers' Day, highlights a recurring pattern in Nigeria's public sector where government commitments on salary reviews and welfare packages are announced but not funded or actioned for years. Coverage from Vanguard and Tribune Online agree on the core grievance — a four-year delay in implementing the approved pay scale — though neither report details the specific financial implications, a timeline for implementation, or an official response from the Federal Ministry of Education or the current administration on when, or whether, the backlog will be addressed.