The National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Titus Amba, has warned that teachers across the country may stop working if ongoing attacks on schools are not urgently addressed.
He said the rising cases of abductions, killings and threats against teachers and students have made many learning environments unsafe, especially in parts of northern Nigeria.
Speaking after the 8th quadrennial delegates’ conference of the NUT Jigawa State chapter in Dutse, Amba said recent incidents in Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states show how serious the situation has become.
According to him, some boarding schools have already been shut down because authorities can no longer guarantee safety. He stressed that teachers may withdraw services if the government continues to treat school insecurity lightly.
The NUT president described attacks on schools as a direct assault on education, recalling the killing of a vice principal in Kebbi State and the mass abduction of students in other states.
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He said teachers are increasingly becoming targets while simply trying to do their jobs, warning again that teachers may withdraw services if their lives remain at risk.
Amba called on federal and state governments to declare school security a national emergency by deploying more security personnel, strengthening surveillance and protecting vulnerable rural schools.
“Teaching is a noble profession, not a death sentence,” he said, adding that teachers may withdraw services if concrete steps are not taken to secure schools and classrooms.
Meanwhile, new executives were elected at the Jigawa NUT conference. The newly elected chairman, Comrade Shu’aibu Guri, pledged to uphold the union’s constitution and prioritise teachers’ welfare, saying the union would continue to engage the government constructively while defending the rights and safety of its members.