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Katsina State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mallam Abdullahi Muhammad, talks to OLAIDE OYELUDE about the welfare of teachers and how they are coping with the different security challenges in the state
The Katsina State Government recently launched a community watch corps and deployed members of the corps to frontline local government councils to complement the efforts of security agencies in tackling banditry and other crimes. How beneficial will this be to teachers, who are often exposed to security threats?
The security challenges in the state are really disturbing. We thank God that Governor Dikko Radda also realises the enormous nature of the challenges. He toured all the 34 local government areas of the state during his governorship campaign; he visited all the councils facing security challenges. That is why the governor has made the issue of security a priority in his programme.
It is true that the governor recently launched a community watch corps and deployed members of the corps in the frontline councils. The majority of members of the corps are indigenes of the frontline councils and they know the terrains very well. He has also equipped them with motorcycles and patrol vehicles to ensure that they tackle insecurity in all the councils in collaboration with security agents. The governor has also supported security agents in the current efforts to tackle insecurity. From what we have seen so far in the state, the governor is frontally tackling insecurity and I can say he has started very well. We pray to the Almighty Allah that he succeeds.
Kidnapping and banditry are major problems facing many parts of the country. How have these affected teachers?
I cannot deny the fact that some of our members, especially in councils like Jibia, Batsari, Kankara and Dandume, have at one point or other been kidnapped and released.
How many of them have been abducted in the past 10 months?
I cannot tell you the exact number. But, the NUT national headquarters has the details, including the exact number. You know that when bandits strike and kidnap victims, they don’t look at faces. They just kidnap and later they get across to their (victims’) families to state their demands. It is the families and friends who negotiate the ransom to be paid and eventually pay for the victims’ release.
Does the NUT play any part in such negotiations and payment of ransom?
The NUT is not involved in ransom negotiation and payment. But we offer assistance to the families of our kidnapped members.
Has the union lost any of its members to kidnapping?
We have lost no one. Our members who were kidnapped and later released chose to remain at their duty posts because they are indigenes of the areas. They don’t seek relocation or transfer as members of their families are also staying in the areas. So, they prefer to stay there, even after their release.
What is the strength of the NUT in the state?
One cannot give an exact number due to some factors like retirement, death and others. And don’t forget, new sets of teachers were employed for schools in the state. We are talking about over 7,000 teachers. I was a member of the committee that carried out the examination and screening for the teachers. So, let me answer your question this way. All secondary school teachers and administrators in the schools are NUT members; all primary school teachers and administrators in such schools are also NUT members. All teachers in the state, whether in secondary or in primary schools, are also on permanent and pensionable employment. We don’t have temporary or part-time teachers in Katsina State.
What can the state government do to alleviate the hardship faced by teachers in local government areas considered prone to attacks?
The governor has demonstrated determination to tackle banditry and other crimes in the state going by the various steps he has so far taken. I will, however, appeal to the government to pay special allowances to the NUT members who are working in all the frontline councils in the state, despite security challenges there. Our members working there have demonstrated a high level of commitment to work and patriotism by still working there and contributing to the growth and development of the state, not minding the security challenges.
If you will recall, some pupils in boarding schools in areas having security challenges were relocated to the state capital, Katsina, to ensure their safety. Pupils of Unity College, Jibia, were relocated to Girls College, Katsina. Also, pupils of Government Girls College, Rimaye, were relocated to Girls College, Katsina.
Governor Radda recently appealed to the Federal Government to allow residents of the state to carry weapons to protect themselves against bandits. As the leaders of teachers in the state, what is your reaction to this?
You know I am a civil servant. That request is like a policy request, which only the government can make a pronouncement on.
Shortly after the December 2020 abduction of some pupils of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, the state government put up some security measures in all schools in the state. Is your union satisfied with those measures?
The measures included the fencing of all schools and the establishment of a local security committee in each school. I will say the measures are still in order. Besides, the community corps recently launched in the state now uses motorcycles and vehicles to patrol schools. This is commendable and I appreciate the governor for this. As I said earlier, the governor has placed priority on the security and safety of people in the state and he has not relented.
What I will advise is that all of us should support this administration. It has just begun and the governor has started very well. With the way he has employed 7,325 new teachers within his first 100 days in office and how he has begun to tackle security challenges, the administration needs our support by offering valuable suggestions and advice. I am quite sure that the governor means well for the state and he will surely deliver.
You said some teachers, who were abducted in the line of duty and later released, remained at their duty posts. What would you tell some who are discouraged by the growing insecurity in the state?
As for our members (teachers), I will urge them to keep on giving their best at their duty posts. They should remember that they were taught, so they should also teach others and contribute to the growth of the state and by extension, the development of Nigeria. We must also report promptly to our various schools and perform our responsibilities to the best of our ability. We should also remember that we have been given the mandate to take care of the responsibility of all the pupils; we must not shy away from this responsibility. Aside from transferring knowledge to the pupils, we must monitor their movement and advise them appropriately on the choice of friends and associates. We must inculcate in them a sense of patriotism and the need to be good citizens of Nigeria.
As for parents, I urge them to monitor the movement of their children and wards. They must know when they go to school and when they come back and when they go to Islammiya in the evening after they return from school. Parents must also screen the types of friends their children keep and associate with and they should cultivate the habit of visiting the schools to interact with teachers and administrators to know how their children and wards are faring at school.
Pupils must always remember that education is the bedrock of achievements in life and must be taken seriously. They should cooperate with the school authorities and take their education seriously.

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