The national headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has written to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, warning of a looming industrial crisis if unresolved issues affecting teachers’ welfare in the state are not addressed.

The union, In a letter dated November 13, 2025, and acknowledged by the Governor’s Office on November 17, but made available to journalists on Friday, faulted the state government’s “seeming refusal” to implement the lawful 27.5% Teachers Specific Allowance (TSA) for TRCN-certified teachers under CONKWESS I, and 21% TSA for non-TRCN certified teachers under CONKWESS II.

The letter, signed by the NUT National President and the Secretary-General, Comrade Audu Titus Amba and Dr Clinton Ikpitibo, however, commended the governor for noticeable improvements in the state’s education sector since 2019.

Calling for an urgent resolution, the NUT national leadership urged Governor Abdulrazaq to grant a meeting before December 13, 2025, to settle the issues amicably.

The letter read: “We bring you fraternal greetings from the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), a union that holds you in very high esteem, judging by your level of noticeable achievements and improvements in the educational sector of Kwara State since your coming on board as the Executive Governor in the year 2019.”

However, the union drew the governor’s attention to two outstanding issues they say have triggered widespread agitation among teachers.

The letter faulted the state government’s “seeming refusal” to implement the lawful 27.5% Teachers Specific Allowance (TSA) for TRCN-certified teachers under CONKWESS I, and 21% TSA for non-TRCN-certified teachers under CONKWESS II.

“Between 2023 to date, the matter has remained unresolved, whereas your government approved full consolidated salary structures for medical and health workers, nurses, and recently, staff of the judiciary, without attending to the age-long demand of teachers,” it said.

The union noted that the delay in implementing the TSA was “almost putting the entire teaching force in Kwara State into a riotous mode with the State NUT leadership and your government.”

The national NUT also expressed disappointment over the non-implementation of the National Harmonised Teachers Retirement Age Act, 2022, which extends teachers’ retirement age to 65 years or 40 years of service.

“It is no longer news that well over 25 states in the federation have complied… The NUT had expected Your Excellency to have taken the lead, being the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, but this is not the case as of today,” the union said.

Calling for an urgent resolution, the NUT national leadership urged Governor Abdulrazaq to grant a meeting before December 13, 2025, to settle the issues amicably.

“We do hope that our interventionist approach is accepted, because to jaw-jaw will be better than to war-war,” the letter noted.

Copies of the said letter, signed by Comrade Audu Titus Amba, National President, and the Secretary-General, Dr Clinton Ikpitibo, were also forwarded to the Acting Head of Service, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, State Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Kwara State chapters of the NLC and NUT. (Nigerian Tribune)

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