Following a closed-door meeting, the Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Abubakar Abdullahi, who spoke on behalf of the council chairmen, disclosed that the minister had resolved to withdraw 10% of the Area Councils’ internally generated revenue (IGR) for the next six months to pay the teachers.
Abdullahi described the decision as painful for the chairmen but said they had accepted it in good faith.
“We just finished a meeting with the minister, the leadership of the NUT, and the Area Council Chairmen. Resolutions were passed, although they did not favour the Chairman, as our six months’ IGR has been entirely committed to settling this issue.
“Our plea to the NUT is to consider our children and call off the strike. The minister clearly stated that, legally, he has no right to withhold 10% of the Area Councils’ IGR to pay NUT debts. But by God’s grace, the Chairman agreed, in the interest of peace and education, to release that amount.
“We hope that before the close of work today, the union will call off the strike, and by tomorrow, our children will return to school,” he said.
