From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, sent a solidarity message to teachers in the state for what he described as their years of suffering and hardship under the current administration of Governor Douye Diri.
Eradiri, in a statement to mark the 2023 Teachers Day, vowed that if elected on November 11, he would wipe away the tears of all the teachers in the state.
He pointed out that teachers are the pillar and backbone of all the sectors in the state and added that under his People, Education, Agriculture and Power (PEAP) agenda teachers would occupy a special place in his government.
According to him, with the humongous resources accruing to the state every month, Bayelsa teachers had no business complaining about nonpayment of promotional arrears, minimum wage and all incentives that should normally be given to them.
Eradiri said while some states had implemented the Federal Government approved retirement age from 60 to 65 years and from 35 to 40 years, the current Bayelsa government had refused to do so.
He noted that many teachers were working under poor environmental conditions characterised by decaying infrastructures, dearth of teaching materials and poor welfare especially in the rural areas where he said some children were still learning under the trees and market squares.
Eradiri said the current administration of Douye Diri did not have any deliberate policy document on the educational development of the state insisting that the state was in dire need of a clear direction, road map and actionable plan to develop the educational sector and improve teachers welfare.
The LP candidate appealed to the teachers not to be deceived by whatever good gestures coming from the government ahead of the election describing them as desperate measures to win the forthcoming poll.
Addressing the teachers, he said: “Whatever they are promising to do for you now is fake. It is because they want to deceive you again to vote for them. You have been crying over your challenges but they turned deaf ears to your demands. Suddenly, they are coming to make fake promises to you.
“Don’t allow them to deceive you again. Whatever they couldn’t do for you three years ago and they are making promises to do them now; it is because another election is around the corner and they need your votes. If you mistakenly return them, they will surely abandon you again.
“But I am offering you a better alternative, an opportunity for us to build our education on a solid foundation. I have signed a pact with you to make your welfare our priority, to address all your challenges and make you work under an environment with globally accepted standards. I am calling on teachers to better the future of their children by voting for me and the LP because I will not disappoint you.”