Teachers shut down Kings College in Lagos over unpaid salary

Teachers of the King’s College (KC), Lagos have embarked of indefinite strike over alleged non-payment of salary by the school authorities. According to a notice pasted on the school gate, the angry teachers vowed to remain at home until their outstanding salaries were paid.

It read: “Strike ongoing. Academic activities grounded in King’s College; five months salaries unpaid. Staff are dying.”

Speaking on the development, a teacher, Mr Muhammed Isa, said pupils, should have resumed on September 17 and 18 but would not do so until the issue was resolved by the federal government.

He said the matter was the same at the Federal Government College, Idoani in Ondo State.

“The Federal Government has not paid our salaries for five months now. W$e did not even allow the pupils to resume.

“Obviously, we have some problems that have to be resolved. Our own children cannot go to school because our salaries have not been paid. Also, we do not have the empowerment to come to work. It has to do with money. You have to pay your transport from wherever you are to come to school, we cannot trek.

“There are some of our staff who are sick and cannot pay hospital bills. One of the staff came on Wednesday, in need of money to pay her hospital bills and she could not get it. She died on Friday. So this has informed us not to resume and we did not take the action without the approval of our mother union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN)”, he said.

Mrs Binta Duguri, who teaches Government and Civic Education said: “The non-payment of salary is really affecting us because our own children are at home, because there is no money to pay their school fees.

“The ones that have reached university cannot even resume. It is not fair that we should come and be teaching other children for free.”

Just few days ago, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), threatened to shut down the institution over unpaid salaries.

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