Posted on: 04:48 Thu, 06 Oct 2016



Former president Goodluck Jonathan has sent a message to Nigerian teachers as they celebrate Teachers’ Day.

In a statement via his Facebook page, Jonathan noted that during his time as president, he made sure they got high allocations.

He wrote: “Throughout my tenure in office, I ensured that education consistently had either the highest sectoral allocation or at least one of the highest because I was convinced then and remain convinced today that nations do not become great because of what is under their ground. Their greatness comes from what is between the ears of their citizens. I salute Nigeria’s teachers on World Teachers Day. They are the goose that lay the golden eggs. May God bless them and may God bless Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Senate president, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, called on government at all levels to prioritise the payment of salaries and general welfare of teachers in order to secure the future of the country.

Saraki said this in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja to mark this year’s Teachers’ Day.

While congratulating Nigerian teachers and their counterparts around the world for their sacrificial contribution to the advancement of knowledge and by extension, world civilization and development, Saraki reiterated his earlier call that teachers’ salaries should be included as an item in the capital vote of the budget to enable them receive their salaries and allowances as at when due.