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An umbrella body of civil society groups in Rivers State, the Rivers State Civil Society Organizations (RIVSCO), has called on the state government to pay the salary arrears of over seven years owed teachers of staff schools of state-owned tertiary institutions.
In a letter to the state governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike, RIVSCO’s chairman, Enefaa Georgewill, said his group has “for a long time now championed the advocacy both within Rivers State and nationally for the state government to offset and payoff arrears of salary of teachers of staff schools of state-owned tertiary institutions.”
Georgewill noted that “these teachers had their salaries stopped by the state government shortly after your first tenure was inaugurated on May 29th 2015. For the years following, these Rivers men and women, fathers and mothers with dependents (children of school age, aged and sick parents, medical attention etc) have not received any salary nor allowance till date.”
Stressing that “some of these teachers have put in over 25 to 30 years of their lives to the service of this state,” Georgewill pointed out that of note is the fact that aside these teachers, “every other category of staff in the school is still being paid by the Rivers State Government because they were all employed by the Rivers State Government just like any other category of staff in these tertiary institutions.
“For the purpose of clarity your Excellency, these dying teachers neither collect school fees or fix price of the school fees. Those who collect the fees from the students are still being paid by the Rivers State Government till date.
“These teachers are dying daily and some are being evicted from their rented apartment by their landlords. In some cases, both parents are teaching in same school and their children are sent out of their schools because they can’t afford their fees. Ninety percent of them are Rivers people – your people you love so much,” he said.
According to the RIVSCO chairman, as law abiding citizens, the teachers took their matter to the Industrial Court and won the state government. “Surprisingly, the Rivers State Government appealed the matter to the Court of Appeal on the same day the Industrial Court entered judgment in favor of these indigent teachers.
“It is on record that on the 30th day of October 2020, the Court of Appeal struck out an appeal filed by your government for lack of merit while fighting the case of the teachers.
“It is surprisingly that despite all the court judgments that your government have refused, neglected and is unwilling to pay the teachers their salary or obey any of the court orders emanating from the litigations for two whole years.
“We hear the Rivers State Government only re-approached the Court of Appeal in 2022 to grant it leave to appeal for the second time after our organisation led these teachers in protest to the NBA Annual Conference held in Rivers State and after agents of the Rivers State Government promised the then commissioner of Police that your government will resolve the matter amicably if the protest is called off,” he said.
Georgewill further RIVSCO’s appeal to Wike to offset the salary arrears owed the teachers as “timely and one opportunity for you to prove your humanity once more to those that may have doubts of your sincerity of purpose, Christian faith and political character.”
He reminded the governor that “There is still enough time between now and the 29th of May, 2023 when you shall depart office to redeem yourself and purge your conscience of the daily wailing, cries and agony of indigent indigenes of the state, that this policy of stopping their salary have left bedridden in poverty and material lack in upwards of a decade.
“We wish to remind you that, you introduced this policy as Minister of Education at the federal level and the Industrial Court have long restored the salaries of these teachers and have been paying them ever since you left as minister.
“Though many of them have died and many of their dependents dropped out of school and others with a bleak future. But Sir, it’s better late than never. The good story of their payment and the relief it will bring to their lives will be a good reference point, a credit to your political career and an imprint left in the sands of time, a legacy worthy of reference and emulation by politicians and leaders of Rivers State that will come after you,” he said.