Public school teachers in Kwara State are protesting their exclusion from a 30% peculiar allowance, citing hardship and union betrayal.
The economic hardship facing many Nigerian families has been laid bare once again, this time by public school teachers in Kwara State who took to the streets to protest their exclusion from a recently approved 30% peculiar salary allowance.
The teachers, who staged a similar demonstration in December 2025, accused the state government of unfair treatment and their own union leadership of outright betrayal.
They argue that while other categories of state workers are enjoying the new allowance, teachers have been deliberately left out, deepening their financial struggles.
A Cry Against Neglect and Betrayal painted a stark picture of their daily lives. Messages highlighted "worsening economic hardship" and the indignity of "living on loan procurement just to sustain life.
"The teachers' anger was not solely directed at the state government. A key focus of the demonstration was the leadership of the Kwara State wing of the NUT, which protesters accused of "inaction and complacency" in defending their interests.
"We are demanding that the 30% peculiar allowance for teachers should be implemented," one protester, identified as Olayinka, stated. "The exclusion of teachers from the 30% peculiar allowance which has been paid to other state workers means we will earn lesser than other civil servants in the state.
"The Allowance Disparity the core of the dispute lies in the difference between the 30% peculiar allowance and another allowance recently approved for teachers.
While the government approved the 30% peculiar allowance for other civil servants, the teachers were instead granted a 27.5% and 21% Teachers Specific Allowances (TSA).
The protesting teachers, however, dismissed this as insufficient and misleading. They pointed out that the 27% allowance is a statutory right that has been implemented for teachers in other states since 2018, meaning it is not a new concession to match the 30% peculiar allowance.
This disparity, they argue, places them at a significant disadvantage compared to their counterparts in other state ministries, a situation they described as being "far from economic reality of the country.
The NUT Kwara State leadership distanced itself from the demonstration, warning that the protest was neither authorised nor endorsed by the union.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Comrade Yusuf Wahab Agboola, the union informed the public that it had not "ordered/authorised/directed public schools’ teachers in the state or any other persons or group, to embark on protest(s).
"The union further warned that any group protesting "in the toga of representing the public schools’ teachers in the state does so at their own peril.
"Contrasting the teachers' grievances, the NUT leadership praised the state government for the approval of the TSA, stating it was a "thoughtful approval" that fulfilled the union’s demands.
This stance further fueled the protesters' accusations of union betrayal, highlighting a deep rift between the rank-and-file teachers and their leadership.
The situation remains tense as the aggrieved teachers await a definitive response from the Kwara State government regarding their demand for inclusion in the 30% peculiar salary allowance.
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