The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged Abia State Governor Alex Otti to pay 4,700 newly recruited teachers who are allegedly working without salaries.
In a press statement dated 10 November 2026, HURIWA accused the state government of using a three-month probation period to delay the teachers’ salaries until January 2027.
The association said the teachers resumed work last month and had been deployed to public primary schools, including those in rural communities.
HURIWA argued that probation should not prevent workers from receiving payment for services they have already provided.
It also raised concerns about unpaid training allowances, which it said had remained outstanding since September.
The association further alleged that the newly recruited teachers were excluded from a reported N1 billion payment made to teachers during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration. According to HURIWA, existing teachers reportedly received N50,000 each, while the newly recruited workers received nothing.
The group called on the state government to explain the distribution of the funds.
Beyond salaries, HURIWA urged the government to improve the welfare of teachers posted to rural communities.
It called for transportation support, affordable accommodation, teachers’ quarters and the deployment of electric buses to ease movement to remote schools.
The association also asked the government to renovate dilapidated classrooms, provide furniture and improve sanitation in public primary schools.
HURIWA said the government must address these concerns to improve teaching conditions and support pupils in rural communities.
It consequently called on Governor Otti to order the payment of outstanding salaries and training allowances, investigate the alleged exclusion from the Teachers’ Day payment and provide essential welfare facilities. The association’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the government must pay the teachers and protect their dignity.
HURIWA maintained that the recruitment exercise should strengthen basic education rather than leave newly employed teachers struggling with unpaid wages and inadequate working conditions.
