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From Ola Muhammad, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has rejected a doctored old video circulating on social media, which it said falsely alleged poor funding of education and poor salaries for teachers in the state.
The state NUT chairman, Mr Zaki Sarki, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Sarki, while reacting to what he described as disparaging comments and malicious allegations against the state government’s performance in the education sector, described the originator of the video as a sponsored agent allegedly working for desperate opposition politicians in the state.
He said the originator was attempting to discredit the visible efforts of the present administration in education and other sectors of the state.
According to him, “We are rejecting these allegations. It is a ploy to gain cheap popularity by instigating teachers and workers against the government. This is the government which has breathed fresh air into a near-dead education sector in Kebbi State before it took the mantle of leadership in the state.”
Sarki said records showed that Governor Nasir Idris inherited a situation where teachers’ salaries were below N18,000 but swiftly reviewed them to N75,000, adding that the person behind the video was aware of the development but chose not to mention it.
He further highlighted what he described as some of the administration’s achievements in the education sector, including the construction of mega schools across the four emirates, the construction of more than 2,500 classrooms, the recruitment of 2,000 teachers, and the provision of furniture and learning materials.
“Attempts to drag the image of a government that has built mega schools in the four emirates, constructed over 2,500 classrooms, recruited 2,000 teachers, and provided furniture and learning materials into the mud are desperate attempts to smear the government’s hard-earned reputation. Such attempts will not succeed,” he said.
The NUT chairman reaffirmed the union’s support for Governor Idris, saying it would continue to support the administration in its efforts to provide dividends of democracy to the people of Kebbi State.
“We at Kebbi NUT are solidly behind Governor Idris, and we will continue to support him to provide dividends of democracy to the people of Kebbi State. We hereby condemn and reject the doctored video and its entire contents,” he said.
Sarki, however, urged opposition politicians to verify facts before making what he described as unfounded claims against the government, adding that they should also acknowledge some of the achievements recorded in the education sector.
