The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has warned it may direct its members to shut down schools in states that fail to implement the new minimum wage for teachers.
The union’s National President, Comrade Audu Amba, issued the warning on Thursday in Abuja while addressing journalists at the NUT’s 2026 Annual Solemn Assembly.
He lamented what he described as the persistent neglect of teachers’ welfare, particularly at the basic education level, noting that welfare extends beyond salaries to include a conducive work environment, access to healthcare and decent living conditions for teachers and their families.
Amba said the union would no longer accept partial implementation of the minimum wage. He pointed out that while some states have applied the new wage structure to civil servants and secondary school teachers, primary school teachers under local government education authorities have in many instances been excluded. “In some states, they implemented for state civil servants, including secondary school teachers, but those teaching in primary schools and paid by local governments are finding it difficult to get implementation,” he said.
He cited the example of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where primary school teachers recently embarked on a three-month strike before the minimum wage was implemented. “In Gombe, there is no proper implementation for primary school teachers. In Zamfara, the same situation persists. After our meeting today, we will take stock of states that are yet to implement the minimum wage for primary school teachers.
“They will shut down primary schools in their respective states until the minimum wage is implemented. It is called basic education for a reason. If it is done right at the basic level, the tertiary level becomes easier.
“Primary and secondary school teachers teach; in the university they lecture. The teacher is key. After the parents, the next person in a child’s life is the teacher.
“Welfare means their salary, their environment where they work and live for themselves, their spouses and their families. That is global best practice in the teaching profession,” he said.
The NUT president lamented that in many public schools across the country, both teachers and pupils operate under deplorable conditions.
“In some localities today, students are sitting on bare floors. The teacher is teaching without even a seat to sit on to mark books. It is alarming. Government is trying, but they need to do more,” he added.