The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, Nigeria, has commended Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji for his unprecedented support for teachers and secondary education, as the union held its 1st Rotational NEC Meeting at the ASUSS Building, Ajebandele, Ado-Ekiti.
In a communiqué by the National President ASUSS, Comrade Sola Adigun and Secretary General, Comrade Kenneth Okon Chukuma, NEC listed the governor’s interventions to include financial support for the construction of the ASUSS State Secretariat, donation of a 16-seater bus to the Ekiti Chapter, clearance of salary and promotion arrears, and massive infrastructural development across public secondary schools.
The union said Oyebanji had etched his name in gold as a true advocate for secondary education through sustained industrial harmony and institutionalisation of the annual World Teachers’ Day celebration.
NEC also expressed appreciation to the Ekiti State Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Folake Olomojobi, for delivering the keynote address at the meeting. Her paper, titled “The Mindset Shift: Restoring the Dignity, Reclaiming Values and Redefining Teachers’ Status,” emphasized the strategic role of teachers in national transformation and the urgent need to restore dignity to the teaching profession.
The communiqué praised the ASUSS Ekiti State Chapter for successfully hosting the rotational NEC meeting, describing the newly built State Secretariat as “an edifice and a hallmark of unity of purpose among secondary school teachers.” NEC congratulated the chapter for the achievement and for demonstrating hard work that culminated in the meeting’s success.
On national issues, NEC maintained its earlier position on the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, stating that its last resolution “still stands until TRCN does the needful.”
The union further argued that the quality of education is determined not by frequent policy changes, but by proper funding at implementation stages and adequate remuneration for teachers as critical stakeholders.
The NEC raised concerns over illegal mining in some communities, noting that the practice discourages school enrollment as underage children are engaged at mining sites.
It called on all levels of government to urgently curb illegal mining and child labour to return affected children to classrooms.
On security, NEC described insecurity as a big threat to education and urged government to establish a Special Schools Protection Squad, SSPS, to protect schools from attacks, while intensifying efforts to rescue victims of abduction still in captivity.
Concluding, ASUSS NEC urged secondary school teachers to show greater commitment to duty and reaffirmed its resolve to partner with government at all levels to ensure quality education delivery and improved welfare for teachers nationwide.
