NUT Goes On One Day Strike Over Abducted Girls Today

 

The Nigeria Union of Teachers has ordered the closure of all primary and secondary schools in the country on Thursday (today) in protest against the abduction of the over 200 female students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

Members of the union are also to hold “Bring back our girls” rallies simultaneously in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.

The President of NUT, Mr. Michael Olukoya, made this known in a statement   amid reports that Boko Haram killed 19 people   in a village near Chibok on Wednesday morning.

In the statement on Wednesday by Olukoya, who is also a National Conference delegate, the NUT   demanded the safe release of the schoolgirls abducted by the sect on April 14.

It also called for adequate compensation for the families of 173 teachers killed by the Islamic militant sect during attacks in Borno and Yobe states.

The statement reads in part, “All schools nationwide shall be closed today (Thursday) which will be our day of protest against the abduction of   female students in Chibok and the heartless murder of 173 teachers.

“We remain resolute in our resolve to continue the campaign even as we mourn the death of our colleagues until our girls are brought back   alive and the perpetrators of the heinous crime brought to book.

“We demand that both the federal and the respective state governments should exhibit true concern to the families of the 173 teachers – 170 from Borno and three from Yobe State – who lost their lives to the barbaric, uncivilised and wicked acts of terrorists by paying them adequate compensation to assist in soothing their misery.”

The NUT   also called on the Federal Government to properly secure all schools in the country to ward off incessant attacks by the insurgents.

It said it was unfortunate and painful that the school system had suffered the worst attacks by insurgents.

Urging the federal and state governments   to provide insurance cover for both students and teachers in the troubled states, the union advised that education should be declared   a fundamental human right .