Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers has commended teachers across the state for their resilience and commitment to duty despite the country’s prevailing economic challenges, praising their refusal to abandon their classrooms even as the cost of living continues to rise. The union also praised Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris for what it described as his commitment to improving teachers’ welfare and strengthening basic education in the state.
The state NUT Chairman, Zaki Sarki SK, stated this on Sunday in his message to teachers to commemorate the 2026 World Teachers’ Day, according to Punch. Sarki described teachers as critical to nation-building, noting that their contributions extended beyond the classroom to the development of professionals and skilled manpower required to sustain the country’s economy. “A country without teachers is an empty nation, with empty technology and science, because teachers produce doctors, nurses, engineers, and entrepreneurs who run the country and its economy,” he said. “We salute teachers’ resilience. Despite the economic challenges, they have refused to abandon their classrooms. Today is your day, and we celebrate you as you mark the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.”
The NUT chairman commended Governor Idris, whom he described as a “teacher governor,” for his administration’s efforts to improve the welfare and working conditions of teachers in the state. According to him, the governor has demonstrated concern for teachers through improved remuneration, the provision of teaching aids, the recruitment of additional teachers, and the construction and renovation of schools. He said the measures had contributed to efforts to revitalise basic education and create a better learning environment for pupils across the state.
The union’s praise for the governor is anchored in a record that Idris has consistently highlighted since assuming office. Speaking at the 59th National Conference of Delegates of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Enugu in September 2026, the governor declared that his administration did not owe teachers, civil servants or pensioners any salary arrears, pensions or gratuities. “We are really doing something different in Kebbi State about the growth of education and the welfare of teachers. We don’t owe salaries, we don’t owe pensions, and we don’t owe gratuity,” he said. He disclosed that his administration had absorbed over 5,000 professional workers, including teachers, medical personnel and lawyers, into the permanent civil service to eliminate casualisation, and that approximately 6,144 civil servants, including teachers and health workers, had been recruited to strengthen the workforce. He also increased the years of service for teachers from 35 to 40 and extended the same benefit to doctors, with other sectors to follow.
The governor’s commitment to teacher welfare was further demonstrated in September 2026 when primary school teachers across Kebbi State jubilated following the fulfilment of his pledge to raise their salaries and restore headmaster allowances that had been abandoned for decades. The NUT State Chairman, Zaki Sarki, confirmed the approvals and described them as a kept promise from a leader who himself once taught, and he highlighted additional achievements including the construction of over 200 schools, the renovation of many others, the recruitment of 2,000 teachers, the employment of 1,500 secondary school teachers, the recruitment of 500 science teachers, and the absorption of more than 300 volunteer teachers into the mainstream service.
However, the path to these achievements was not without challenges. In June 2026, Governor Idris inaugurated a seven-member committee to investigate salary payments and the implementation of the new minimum wage for primary school teachers across the state, following concerns raised during engagements with the NUT and a recent town hall meeting. The governor said he had a personal interest in the committee, noting that he knew how much teachers were earning before and how much he had approved as their new minimum wage. The committee was tasked with identifying the actual grievances of primary school teachers regarding salary payments, examining funding allocations from local governments to Local Government Education Authorities, reviewing funding levels before and after the implementation of the new minimum wage, and investigating any irregularities affecting salary disbursement. The committee submitted its report in August 2026 and flagged the existence of ghost workers, with the governor expressing concern that some primary school teachers were still taking home relatively low salaries despite the implementation of the N75,000 minimum wage.
The NUT chairman also used the occasion of World Teachers’ Day to urge teachers to reflect on their responsibilities and contributions to the education sector while remaining committed to improving their performance. He assured teachers that the NUT would continue to defend their rights and privileges through lawful and constructive engagement with relevant authorities. “The NUT will stand with our teachers through thick and thin. We will continue to strive to ensure that all their rights and privileges are secured through holistic and lawful engagements with the concerned authorities,” he added.
The union’s message reflects a broader national conversation about the state of education in Nigeria and the welfare of teachers, who remain among the most critical yet often underappreciated professionals in the country. At the national level, the NUT President, Comrade Audu Amba, used the 59th National Conference in Enugu to raise alarm over the Federal Government’s plan to concession King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old boys’ association under a public-private partnership, describing the move as a dangerous departure from the principle of public education and an unacceptable form of privatisation. He also lamented that the Federal Government’s budgetary allocations to education over the years had remained far below the internationally recommended benchmarks of at least 15 to 20 per cent of the national budget, and that allocations by most states were abysmally poor. He appealed to the Federal Government to work with key stakeholders, especially state governments, to ensure the implementation of approved incentives and welfare packages for teachers, and urged states to access their counterpart funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission to aid the provision of essential school infrastructure and instructional resources at the basic education level.
The Kebbi NUT’s World Teachers’ Day message, therefore, carries significance beyond the state’s borders. It is a testament to what can be achieved when a state government prioritises teacher welfare, and it serves as a reminder of the sacrifices that teachers across Nigeria continue to make in the face of economic hardship. For the teachers of Kebbi State, the union’s recognition is both a celebration of their resilience and a call to continue serving with dedication. For Governor Idris, it is a validation of his administration’s focus on education and a reminder that the investments being made in teachers and schools are being noticed and appreciated. As Zaki Sarki put it, “A country without teachers is an empty nation.” The teachers of Kebbi State have refused to abandon their classrooms, and their union has made clear that their sacrifice will not go unacknowledged.
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