By Chiamaka Egwu
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to immediately pay 4,700 newly recruited primary school teachers allegedly working without salaries, warning against using probation to deny them wages.
The association said the teachers, recruited by the state government and deployed to public schools, particularly in rural communities, resumed duties last month but had yet to receive their first salaries.
In a statement on Tuesday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, described the situation as unacceptable, faulting reports that the teachers might not receive their first salaries until January 2027 because of a three-month probationary period.
“Governor Otti must explain why 4,700 teachers employed by his government should work for months without salaries. These are not volunteers or charity workers. They are employees who deserve to be paid for their services. Probation must not become a licence for exploitation,” HURIWA said.
The group also alleged that the teachers’ training allowances had remained unpaid since September, adding that the situation had compounded the financial difficulties of the affected graduates.
It further questioned the alleged exclusion of the newly recruited teachers from the N1 billion reportedly released for teachers during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration.
According to HURIWA, the affected teachers claimed that existing teachers received N50,000 each from the fund, while the newly recruited batch received nothing.
Beyond the salary controversy, the association expressed concern over the welfare of teachers posted to rural communities, citing inadequate transportation, accommodation and poor school infrastructure.
It urged the governor to deploy some of the electric buses reportedly procured by his administration to convey teachers to rural schools, provide affordable accommodation and teachers’ quarters, and rehabilitate dilapidated classrooms.
“Governor Otti cannot claim to be transforming Abia’s education sector while the teachers recruited to drive that transformation allegedly beg for transportation money and wait for months to receive their salaries,” the association said.
HURIWA demanded immediate payment of outstanding salaries and training allowances, an investigation into the alleged exclusion from the Teachers’ Day payment, and improved transportation, accommodation and working conditions.
“These 4,700 teachers are not volunteers. They are not charity workers. They are employees recruited by the Abia State Government and deployed to serve the state. Governor Otti must pay them, protect their dignity and provide the conditions they need to teach. Government cannot demand their labour and deny them their wages,” it said.
The association urged Otti to intervene urgently, warning that the recruitment exercise should not become a source of frustration for teachers or undermine efforts to improve basic education in the state.
