Proprietor wants N70,000 transport allowance extended to Niger’s private school teachers

Private school owners in Niger State have urged the Federal Government and state governments to extend transport allowance support to teachers in privately owned schools, following the approval of a N70,000 allowance for federal civil servants.

The appeal was made by the management of Ibnu Rawaha International Academy, Bida, on behalf of other private school operators in a statement signed by its director, Tayyib Muhammad, and issued in Minna.

The group said private school teachers were facing the same economic pressures as public sector workers, particularly rising transportation costs and living expenses.
Commending the Federal Government for approving the transport allowance, Muhammad said the intervention should not exclude workers in privately owned institutions.

“Economic hardship recognises no distinction between public and private employment. Private school teachers face the same rising transportation costs and living expenses as their counterparts in government service,” he said.
The school owners recalled that the Federal Government extended financial support to some private schools during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its economic intervention programmes.

They argued that the assistance provided during the pandemic should serve as a basis for extending similar support to private school teachers under the prevailing economic conditions.
The group also appealed to the Niger State Government, led by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, to introduce a similar intervention if the Federal Government failed to accommodate their request.

It further called on the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to expand their advocacy to cover workers outside government employment.
According to the group, organised labour should defend the welfare of all workers rather than focus mainly on employees receiving government salaries.

“Our position is clear: if private school teachers deserved government assistance during the COVID-19 crisis, they equally deserve consideration amid the present economic hardship,” Muhammad said.
The group urged the Federal Government to broaden its intervention and called on the Niger State Government to lead by example in supporting private school teachers.