Bayelsa teachers accuse Gov. Diri of short-changing them

“The promotions in the past eight years have been merely cosmetic and have no financial implication on the monthly take-home pay, and that is what this governor has addressed, but we have not

Primary school teachers in Bayelsa have expressed disappointment that their April salaries did not reflect increment following promotions, despite the pledge by Governor Douye Diri.

According to official sources, the government made available about N200 million and had promised to commence the implementation of salary increment following the promotion of primary school teachers in the services of local governments.

But the News Agency of Nigeria learnt that the promotion increment for primary school teachers had stalled since 2013.

Igelege Samuel, who spoke on behalf of the teachers in the Ogbia local government area, told NAN on Tuesday in Yenagoa that the teachers felt disappointed when their April salaries did not reflect the increments.

He added that the approval granted by the governor to commence the implementation of salary increments had boosted the morale of teachers whose incomes had remained stagnant for more than eight years.

“The governor of Bayelsa had listened to our cry and shown his compassion by making funds available to assist the local governments to pay. But we were disappointed that just a handful out of over 400 teachers got the increment.

“Those of us who were left out happened to be in the majority, and we are worried and demand to know what led to this,” Mr Samuel explained.

He, however, stated that the teachers appreciated the governor’s intervention to increase their salaries.

“The promotions in the past eight years have been merely cosmetic and have no financial implication on the monthly take-home pay, and that is what this governor has addressed, but we have not seen the money,” Mr Samuel added.

More than 100 of the affected teachers had gathered at the residence of the Account Supervisor for Ogbia LGA, Yague James, to submit their promotion letters to facilitate the implementation.

Mr James had addressed the aggrieved workers and urged them to submit their documents to ensure that those omitted would be captured in implementing the promotion increment.

(NAN)