The National Headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has issued a formal warning to Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, over what it described as unresolved matters affecting teachers, cautioning that failure to act promptly could lead to an industrial dispute.
In a letter dated November 13, 2025—acknowledged by the Governor’s Office on November 17 but released to journalists on Friday, December 5—the union praised the governor for the notable progress recorded in the state’s education sector since 2019.
The letter opened with, “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.”
Despite the commendation, the union stressed that two long-standing issues have sparked widespread unrest among teachers.
According to the NUT, the government’s “seeming refusal” to enforce the approved 27.5% Teachers Specific Allowance (TSA) for TRCN-certified teachers under CONKWESS I, and 21% TSA for non-TRCN certified teachers under CONKWESS II, has become a major source of frustration.
They pointed out that: “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.”
The union warned that the prolonged failure to implement 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 NUT National Headquarters also criticized the state for not adopting the National Harmonized Teachers Retirement Age Act, 2022—which extends the retirement age to 65 years or 40 years in service—stating that more than 25 states have already complied.
“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 Nigeria Governors Forum, but this is not the case as at today,” the letter said.
The union urged the governor to convene a meeting on or before December 13, 2025, to resolve the disputes amicably, adding that dialogue remains the best path forward.
“We do hope that our interventionist approach is accepted, because to jaw-jaw will be better than to war-war,” it stated.
The letter, signed by National President Comrade Audu Titus Amba and Secretary General Dr. Clinton Ikpitibo, was copied to the Acting Head of Service, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, the State Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, as well as the Kwara State NLC and NUT chapters.
