The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Charles Soludo has sacked 1, 000 teachers employed by the government of his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano.
The teachers protested to the State House of Assembly on Tuesday where they appealed to the lawmakers to prevail on the Governor to reconsider the decision to sack them.
The protesting teachers said that they were engaged by the Parents Teachers Association of the various institution because of the acute shortage of teachers in the state.
They explained further that the Obiano administration made their appointments permanent by engaging them under the state government.
The teachers pleaded with the Governor through placards they displayed to restore their jobs
“Give us back our job”, “Why terminate our appointments after seven months of work without pay?”, “We met the criteria, we were duly employed, “Please reinstate us” and “Gov. Soludo reconsider your stand”, “Assembly please intervene and help save our jobs.” The placards reads
The Spokesperson for the sacked teachers, Uche Eze, pleaded with the Governor to drop the decision to sack the large number of teachers.
Eze also pleaded with the leadership of the State House of Assembly to intervene on their behalf.
He recalled that some of the affected teachers had worked for over 10 years as employees of the PTA before their engagement by the Obiano administration.
Eze said, “We are teachers engaged by the PTA to address the acute shortage of teachers in state’s primary and secondary schools. Some of us had worked for over 10 years before the last administration decided to hold a recruitment and conversion exercise to make us permanent staff.
“About 1,000 of us were shortlisted and we got our appointment letters in November 2021 to resume fully but for over seven months we have not been paid and we have just been told that our appointments have been terminated.
“We were asked to go and re-apply in the ongoing online teachers’ recruitment. This is not fair, we were not paid off and we are stranded because they are sending us back to the labour market after we were duly employed.
“We are appealing to the Speaker of the House to use his office to intervene in this matter and help us save our jobs.”
In his reaction, the Speaker of the House, Mr Uche Okafor, assure the teachers that the matter would be taken up with the Governor.
He promised to speak to the Governor so that the matter can be resolved.
“We have heard your complaints and appeals. As your representatives in the assembly, we are your ears and mouth piece, so whatever affects you, affects us.
“I want to assure you that we will speak for you by taking this matter to the governor and discuss it, so that you get that which is duly yours.”
