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From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Media and Publicity, Terver Akase has stated that his boss has motivated teachers in Benue state more than their counterparts in the northern region.
The governor’s aide was reacting to a statement credited to the state Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Herman Hembe, in which he accused the Ortom administration of neglecting Benue teachers and the education system in general.
Akase said “We find the statement as just another outing aimed at whipping up sentiments to set the teachers against the present administration in order to gain political mileage.”
He said the Labour Party governorship candidate was obviously not aware that Benue teachers have at different times, appreciated and commended the Governor for his efforts in addressing their welfare as it affects emoluments, promotions and other incentives of service.
According to Akase, “the Benue teacher takes home a salary well higher than his/her counterparts in all northern states. Hembe can verify.”
He said Governor Ortom’s commitment to education anchored on making tertiary education strong, secondary education stronger and primary education strongest is evident in the huge investment he has made to transform the education sector and provide a conducive learning environment for both teachers and students.
To improve the welfare of Benue teachers, he said Ortom had on assumption of office in 2015, met with the leadership of Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and persuaded them to call off their strike which was ongoing at the time.
“The Governor approved the implementation of N18,000 minimum wage for Benue teachers, a decision that tremendously excited and motivated the teachers.”
He said the promotion of teachers has also been regularized while approval has been given to the Benue State Teaching Service Board, TSB, and the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, to commence the process of recruiting additional teachers to fill existing vacancies in public secondary and primary schools across the state.
He said through partnership with Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, the Benue state government under Ortom has in the last seven years, executed over 1,000 primary school projects across the state while providing thousands of customized desks and chairs for primary school pupils in the state.
According to him, the gestures have contributed to the excellent performance of Benue State in West African Examination Council, (WAEC), while Mrs Lucy Tyokyaa, a teacher with Government Girls College Makurdi also won the Best Female Teacher of the Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Festival (HIASFEST) 2021, a competition for Nigerian schools.
Akase who observed that a neglected and despondent teacher couldn’t have achieved such a feat assured that despite the daunting challenge of funds, the Ortom administration has and would continue to attend to the welfare of workers in the state including teachers.
