Twelve states in Nigeria have yet to fully implement the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage for teachers, particularly at the primary school level, according to data from the National Union of Teachers (NUT). The affected states include Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Imo, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Bauchi, and Zamfara. Additionally, in Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Yobe, the minimum wage has not been implemented for primary school teachers.
In Zamfara, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) recently accused the state government of paying teachers as little as N8,000 per month. Similarly, Abia State has faced criticism for its failure to implement the minimum wage for both teachers and other state workers.
NUT President Titus Amba expressed concern over the situation, recalling the federal government's announcement of welfare packages for teachers in 2020 during World Teachers’ Day. These incentives were meant to enhance the profession and included special salary scales, bursary awards for education students, and pension schemes for teachers, among others.
Amba called on federal and state governments to fully implement these packages to boost teacher morale, noting that many of the promised incentives remain unfulfilled, four years after their announcement.
