Ministry intervenes in NUT, NTI N1.4bn fraud face-off

Federal Ministry of Education has intervened to end the frosty relationship between the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the National Teachers Institute, promising to pay N1.4bn allowances for teachers who participated in the 2011 Millennium Development Goals progamme.

The Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, stated this in Abuja, while receving report of the committee set up to investigate allegations that the NTI defrauded the teachers.

The committee, however, absolved the NTI of the allegation levelled by the NUT.

Wike said the appropriate authorities would ensure the payment of the affected teachers.

The minister had set up a joint committee headed by the Director of Basic and Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education to investigate the allegations by the NUT that the money budgeted for the teachers’ allowances was diverted by some NTI officials.

But the Director- General of NTI, Dr. Ladan Sharehu, explained that institute paid the teachers N2,500 instead of N14,000 because of the non-release of fund for the project.

Wike, at an intervention meeting on Monday, confirmed that the institute could not pay the N1.437bn to the teachers that participated in the exercise because funds were not released as anticipated.

He said the money was not released due to the general cut in the last quarter disbursement of the 2011 budget by government.

Sharehu said the NTI was committed to the welfare of teachers, adding that it would not underrate them.

He said, “As the body charged with the responsibility of training and retraining of teachers, there is no reason the institute will ever underrate the worth and integrity of teachers, much less of causing them pains.

“We even wrote to the leadership of the NUT intimating them with the situation; this can be confirmed from them. Also, when their officers and my team met with the Minister of State for Education, in Abuja, at the instance of the minister, I still explained the matter clearly to them.”