Enugu LG debunks alleged sanitation levy on teachers’ salaries

…Says capitation rate statutory

From Felix Ikem, Nsukka

Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State has explained that the planned deduction from December 2025 salaries of primary school teachers is legally called “Capitation rate” and not ‘Sanitation Rate’ as seen in the recent salary payment bank narration of Uzo-Uwani School teachers.

The council explained that the capitation rate is an exercise which is statutory and payable by workers in different LGAs across the federation.

The government also explained that the rate is an annual fee of N2,500 per person which before now was payable to the Local Government Internal Revenue (IGR) through manual collection but has been recently digitized to be collected by banks.

Clarifying the December deduction on Friday, the Education Secretary of Uzo Uwani LGA, Chief Peter Egwuatu (Ajontu), noted that “as a tradition in the LGA, head teachers of primary schools used to collect this rate directly from teachers and remit same to the local government revenue account.’

He, however, stated that the LGA did not collect the rate in 2024 and 2025, resulting in the December N5000 naira deduction which will enable the education sector, clear the backlog of unpaid rates in the LGA.

“The deduction is called “Capitation rate” and not “Sanitation Rate” as mistakenly written on the payment narration.

“The amount paid annually is N2,500 and it is credited into the Local Government Internally Generated Revenue account.

“Before now, head teachers used to collect it from teachers and pay it into the local government revenue account. But now we have digitized it and in 2024 and 2025, the teachers did not pay for the Capitation rates and that is the reason behind the N5000 December deduction.

“So it is a tradition and every teacher knows this to be a legal fee. So why are they now calling the chairman names?, Chief Egwuatu queried.

Some section of social media had reported the alleged deduction of N5000 for sanitation rate from the salaries of primary school teachers in the area.