Kwara: Teachers protest allowance disparity

Public school teachers in Kwara State on Friday staged a protest over their exclusion from a 30 per cent peculiar salary allowance recently approved for other categories of state workers.

The protest followed a similar demonstration held on December 23, 2025, over the same issue.

Findings by Daily Trust showed that efforts by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to stop the latest protest led to a division among the aggrieved teachers, with some withdrawing from the planned action while others proceeded.

Those who continued with the protest converged on the NUT secretariat along Asa Adam Road, Ilorin, where they displayed placards and chanted solidarity songs to express their grievances.

Placards carried by the teachers bore inscriptions such as “Implement 30% peculiar allowance in addition to TSA now,” “Enough is enough,” and “Poor pay worsening our economic hardship” among others.

The protesters accused the state government and the NUT leadership of failing to adequately protect teachers’ welfare amid the rising cost of living.

One of the teachers who pulled out of the protest, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the intervention by the NUT leadership caused a split within the group.

“The NUT leaders met with us to stop the protest. While the meeting was ongoing, another group decided to proceed to the secretariat, and accusations of compromise followed,” the teacher said.

An aggrieved teacher, identified only as Olayinka, said teachers were deliberately sidelined from the allowance approved for other workers.

“We are protesting the exclusion of teachers from the 30 per cent peculiar allowance that other state workers are enjoying and the inaction of the NUT leadership on this issue,” he said.

Another teacher said the exclusion would leave teachers earning less than other civil servants.

“What is being referenced for teachers is 27 per cent, not 30 per cent. That puts teachers at a disadvantage,” he said.

He explained that the 27 per cent allowance was not a new concession, describing it as a statutory entitlement already implemented in other states since 2018.

“It is expected to commence here in January, while other workers received their 30 per cent increase in December,” he added.

Reacting to the protest, the NUT leadership disowned the action, saying it neither authorised nor endorsed it.

In a statement signed by the state chairperson, Yusuf Agboola, and the deputy secretary general, Mike Itua, the union said it had not directed teachers to protest against the government or any institution.

“Anyone or group that goes on public protest in Kwara State in the toga of representing public school teachers does so at their own peril,” the statement said.

The union leadership, however, thanked the state government for approving what it described as teacher related allowances.

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.