By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT Minister, Barr. Nysome Wike has faulted the lackadaisical attitude of Legislators and Area Councils Chairmen towards the prolonged strike action by FCT primary schools teachers over non-payment of their minium wage.
Wike made this known on Thursday after an inspection tour of projects to be commissioned by Presidential Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his second anniversary in office.
The minister said it was worrisome that the Legislators in charge of Committees on FCT and Area Councils for not showing concerns that children who ought to be in schools are at home and their teachers not in the classrooms to teach.
The chairman of committees of area councils, their responsibility is to oversee what the area councils are doing because the legislature of the FCT today is the National Assembly.
“That is what the Chairmen of the House Committee of the National Assembly have to do, to look at the problem in the area councils. But it’s unfortunate that they concentrate on just inviting another minister to come and defend.”
” I’ve never seen in my life where the minister has defended a budget, and another House Committee chairman of area councils will tell a minister of State to come and present a budget.”
Also, Wike blamed the Councils Chairmen for not solving the lingering problem, adding that it is not that they are too powerful to be called to order , but there have been dialogue with them of issues of paying FCT primary school teachers their minimum salaries of because they were elected and not appointed.
“So we have been talking to them to understand that, this is democracy, one thing you must know is that denying people education is like trying to say that you are causing a coup in the country or in FCT, he explained.
Wike however, reassured that the issue will be over.
Very soon, this issue regarding the primary school teachers, would be sorted out because nobody can feel happy when the teachers are at home.
“It is the basic thing that we must do, and I can assure you very soon that matter will be resolved, the minister affirmed.
Mainwhile, after the inspection of the OSEX 11 – Wassa, N20 interchange to Daki biyu roads in satellite towns, the Minister rated very high the performance of administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his two years in office, and promised that FCT residents should be expecting more of the dividends of the Renewed HopeAgenda.
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