Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over what he described as the worsening hardship faced by teachers and Nigerian families.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Monday by Phrank Shaibu,
Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council,
said leaders who could not remember their teachers or classmates could hardly
understand the challenges confronting teachers.
He said he still remembered the names and faces of his early
teachers in Jada, whom he credited with helping to shape his future after he
lost his parents at a young age.
According to him, teachers are struggling with rising costs
of food, transportation, rent and electricity, while their incomes have failed
to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
“It is both revealing and deeply embarrassing that Bola
Tinubu cannot name a single teacher who stood before him or a classmate who sat
beside him,” Atiku said.
He described teachers as “architects of every nation’s
future,” stressing that their welfare must go beyond ceremonial praise on
Teachers’ Day.
Atiku said the government could not continue to celebrate
teachers while leaving them to face economic hardship throughout the year.
“Government cannot praise teachers on this day and leave
them to face hardship for the rest of the year. A commemorative message cannot
pay a teacher’s bills,” he said.
The former vice president also apologised to Nigerian
teachers and citizens on behalf of what he described as a leadership that had
failed to make their welfare a priority.
He pledged that, if elected, his administration would pursue
policies aimed at reducing the cost of living, creating decent jobs and
improving the welfare of teachers and families.
Atiku, who is also the founder of the American University of
Nigeria, said his experience in education had given him an understanding of the
dedication and sacrifices required in teaching.
He thanked teachers across the country for their service and
urged the government to match its appreciation with concrete policies that
would provide them with decent and dignified living conditions.
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