HISTORY OF NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS

ORIGIN OF NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS

N.U.T. is a union formed primarily to improve the economic conditions of teachers in the country. It is also a reservoir of ideas that are useful for the educational development of the nation.

The union came into existence due to the pains of salary cuts, fear of job insecurity and other economic plagues to which teachers were vulnerable.

On the 8^th and 9^th of July, 1931, Lagos Union of Teachers (L.U.T: 1925 with Reverend Canhon J.O Lucas as president), Association of Headmasters of Ijebu Schools (A.H.I.S: 1926 presided by Reverend I.O Ransome Kuti) and some other teachers associations from Agege, Ibadan, Abeokuta and Calabar came together, held a meeting at CMS Grammar School, Lagos State and launched N.U.T with the emergence of the following executives:

·        Reverend Israel Oladotun Ransome Kuti as the National President.

·        Arch. Deacon J.O Lucas as the Vice President

·        Mr. T.K. Cameron as Honorary General Secretary

Also present at the meeting were:

a)     Reverend Emmanuel O. Alayande

b)    Reverend Seth I Kale

c)     Mr. E.N.E. Nkumo

d)    Mr. T.J.O. Sanyade

In similar vein, in 1948, Mallam Aminu Kano led some officers in Sokoto, Kano, Funtua, Minna, Jos, Bukuru, Kafanchan, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Agyaragu, Ilorin, Lokoja, Kabba, Bassa, Offa, Igbomina, Yagba, Otukpo, Jebba, etc to form a northern teachers association which was later registered on the 31^st March, 1951 as Northern State Teachers’ Union (N.S.T.U) leading to the emergence of the following executives:

·        Shetima Sheu Ajiran (President)

·        Mallam Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Vice President)

·        Mallam Aminu Kano (General Secretary).

 On 27^th of May, 1972, at NNA School, Muri road Kaduna, N.U.T. and N.S.T.U. signed an agreement which merged them under the chairmanship of the Director, Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr. A. F. Ogunsola.

Overtime, N.U.T. has waxed bigger and stronger spreading all over the local government areas in Nigeria.

Above is a brief historical background of Nigeria Union of Teachers