Editorial
Teachers And Educational Transformation

Last Wednesday, October 5, the global community marked the 2022 World Teachers’ Day (WTD).
Following the indispensable impact of teachers on any society, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in 1994, reached a unanimous resolution that October 5 of every year should be observed by all the United Nations (UN) member states as World Teachers’ Day.
While every day is an incredible day to compliment and applaud teachers, World Teachers’ Day is their unique day. And when it comes to teachers, surveys invariably show that they are doing an excellent job. At the soul of any education system are the teachers. They are the ones charged with not only teaching the basics of reading, but also staying on top of technology and emerging trends.
WTD is a day to celebrate, appreciate and honour teachers for their contributions to their students and society. On this day, many likewise come together and organise meetings, conferences and such to identify concerns being faced by teachers globally and find solutions to those issues. This year’s theme is: “The Transformation Of Education Begins With Teachers”.
In most nations, it is frustrating to note that teachers, who contribute fantastically to the socio-economic development of a nation, are regaled poorly regarding remuneration and other inducements. It is even more tragic to acknowledge that in some countries, these individuals who are meant to be the leading professionals are regarded as second-class, if not third-class citizens.
The truth is that teachers are vital to us. They are the building blocks of society and remain the foundation on which any nation is built. The international community and governments have got to stand firm and united to support teachers and quality learning, especially in countries where the number of out-of-school children is high. It must be affirmed that education systems are only as good as their teachers.
In Nigeria, where World Teachers Day was commemorated, the civil society and other stakeholders should stimulate the teaching profession. Good and gorgeous employment conditions, including suitable salaries, prospects for career progression and promotion, a conducive work environment, and high-quality service training should be guaranteed. Effective management that will include teachers’ recruitment and deployment is imperative.
Teaching is a precursor to other professions; therefore, it should be quality-driven to attract young talents and keep them in the profession. Here in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to address the pressing challenges of teachers. They include impoverished learning facilities, underfunding, few trained teachers and absence of commitment, lack of incentives, among others. These needs must be met to ensure top-notch delivery from them.
It was for those reasons that President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed a special salary scale and new retirement age for teachers in basic and secondary schools across the country in the 2020 edition of the event. The President increased the number of service years for the teachers from 35 to 40 and the retirement age from 60 to 65. Nigerian teachers had been asking for an increase in their retirement age, welfare, and salaries.
Sadly, the Federal Government has failed to gazette the law and is only now proposing to include aspects of the package in the 2023 budget. This inattention to teaching and education is distasteful. The poor state of education today, particularly at the basic level, is linked to how teachers and their profession are feted by the government. If the future of a country depends on the quality and commitment of its teachers, whose products are its prospective leaders, their ill-treatment would be no more than a purposeful attempt to render the future of today’s learners vulnerable.
Notably, the professionalisation of teaching, long after its establishment in Nigeria, yet remains a career that can be patronised by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. For example, people without the minimum teaching qualification are still being employed to teach in public and private schools at nearly all levels. While knowing a subject is one thing, understanding how to convey the knowledge to others is another; probably considered even more critical.
Regardless of the level teaching takes place, teaching qualifications are crucial to every teacher’s success in the workplace. If teaching is a profession in Nigeria, no one in the country’s institutions would engage in it without a teaching qualification. Disappointingly, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has failed to enforce this provision at every degree of the system. Even more deplorable is the inaction of the TRCN, which reduces the concept of professionalisation of teaching to merely licensing teachers.
Once professionalisation is achieved, it is believed that many of the challenges currently plaguing the teaching profession will naturally disappear. The government, not associations, has the responsibility to implement policies and operational guidelines designed to make teaching a profession in the country. Any inadequacy will only leave Nigerian teachers without a career.
To mark the day, some teachers in Rivers State recalled Governor Nyesom Wike’s regular payment of teachers’ salaries and renovation of many public primary and secondary schools to improve working/studying atmosphere for teachers and students. Additionally, the state government will soon hire more teachers to fill existing vacancies in schools. Wike has been offering scholarships to Rivers indigenes to study Medicine at PAMO University of Medical Sciences, a private institution.
In South Korea, teachers are known as nation builders, while Finland and some Scandinavian countries regard them as key success behind their countries’ development. Nigerian government should also take a cue from these countries and encourage the teachers, motivate them adequately and respect the profession as noble. Because poorly trained students can devastate the national heritage.
Editorial
No To Political Office Holders’ Salary Hike
Nigeria’s Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has unveiled a gratuitous proposal to increase the salaries of political and public office holders in the country. This plan seeks to fatten the pay packets of the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies. At a time when the nation is struggling to steady its economy, the suggestion that political leaders should be rewarded with more money is not only misplaced but insulting to the sensibilities of the ordinary Nigerian.
What makes the proposal even more opprobrious is the dire economic condition under which citizens currently live. The cost of living crisis has worsened, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers, and the naira continues to tumble against foreign currencies. The majority of Nigerians are living hand to mouth, with many unable to afford basic foodstuffs, medical care, and education. Against this backdrop, political office holders, who already enjoy obscene allowances, perks, and privileges, should not even contemplate a salary increase.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stepped in to challenge this development. SERAP has filed a lawsuit against the RMAFC to halt the implementation of this salary increment. This resolute move represents a voice of reason and accountability at a time when public anger against political insensitivity is palpable. The group is rightly insisting that the law must serve as a bulwark against impunity.
According to a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the commission has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Although a hearing date remains unconfirmed, the momentous step of seeking judicial redress reflects a determination to hold those in power accountable. SERAP has once again positioned itself as a guardian of public interest by challenging an elite-centric policy.
The case, registered as suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, specifically asks the court to determine “whether RMAFC’s proposed salary hike for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is not unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law.” This formidable question goes to the very heart of democratic governance: can those entrusted with public resources decide their own pay rises without violating the constitution and moral order?
In its pleadings, SERAP argues that the proposed hike runs foul of both the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the RMAFC Act. By seeking a judicial declaration that such a move is unlawful, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with the rule of law, the group has placed a spotlight on the tension between self-serving leadership and constitutionalism. To trivialise such an issue would be harum-scarum, for the constitution remains the supreme authority guiding governance.
We wholeheartedly commend SERAP for standing firm, while we roundly condemn RMAFC’s selfish proposal. Political office should never be an avenue for financial aggrandisement. Since our leaders often pontificate sacrifice to citizens, urging them to tighten their belts in the face of economic turbulence, the same leaders must embody sacrifice themselves. Anything short of this amounts to double standards and betrayal of trust.
The Nigerian economy is not buoyant enough to shoulder the additional cost of a salary increase for political leaders. Already, lawmakers and executives enjoy allowances that are grossly disproportionate to the national average income. These earnings are sufficient not only for their needs but also their unchecked greed. To even consider further increments under present circumstances is egregious, a slap in the face of ordinary workers whose minimum wage remains grossly insufficient.
Resources earmarked for such frivolities should instead be channelled towards alleviating the suffering of citizens and improving the nation’s productive capacity. According to United Nations statistics, about 62.9 per cent of Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2021, compared to 53.7 per cent in 2017. Similarly, nearly 30.9 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day. These figures paint a stark picture: Nigeria is a poor country by all measurable standards, and any extra naira diverted to elite pockets deepens this misery.
Besides, the timing of this proposal could not be more inappropriate. At a period when unemployment is soaring, inflation is crippling households, and insecurity continues to devastate communities, the RMAFC has chosen to pursue elite enrichment. It is widely known that Nigeria’s economy is in a parlous state, and public resources should be conserved and wisely invested. Political leaders must show prudence, not profligacy.
Another critical dimension is the national debt profile. According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt as of March 2025 stood at a staggering N149.39 trillion. External debt obligations also remain heavy, with about US$43 billion outstanding by September 2024. In such a climate of debt-servicing and borrowing to fund budgets, it is irresponsible for political leaders to even table the idea of inflating their salaries further. Debt repayment, not self-reward, should occupy their minds.
This ignoble proposal is insensitive, unnecessary, and profoundly reckless. It should be discarded without further delay. Public office is a trust, not an entitlement to wealth accumulation. Nigerians deserve leaders who will share in their suffering, lead by example, and prioritise the common good over self-indulgence. Anything less represents betrayal of the social contract and undermines the fragile democracy we are striving to build.
Editorial
No To Political Office Holders’ Salary Hike
Nigeria’s Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has unveiled a gratuitous proposal to increase the salaries of political and public office holders in the country. This plan seeks to fatten the pay packets of the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies. At a time when the nation is struggling to steady its economy, the suggestion that political leaders should be rewarded with more money is not only misplaced but insulting to the sensibilities of the ordinary Nigerian.
What makes the proposal even more opprobrious is the dire economic condition under which citizens currently live. The cost of living crisis has worsened, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers, and the naira continues to tumble against foreign currencies. The majority of Nigerians are living hand to mouth, with many unable to afford basic foodstuffs, medical care, and education. Against this backdrop, political office holders, who already enjoy obscene allowances, perks, and privileges, should not even contemplate a salary increase.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stepped in to challenge this development. SERAP has filed a lawsuit against the RMAFC to halt the implementation of this salary increment. This resolute move represents a voice of reason and accountability at a time when public anger against political insensitivity is palpable. The group is rightly insisting that the law must serve as a bulwark against impunity.
According to a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the commission has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Although a hearing date remains unconfirmed, the momentous step of seeking judicial redress reflects a determination to hold those in power accountable. SERAP has once again positioned itself as a guardian of public interest by challenging an elite-centric policy.
The case, registered as suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, specifically asks the court to determine “whether RMAFC’s proposed salary hike for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is not unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law.” This formidable question goes to the very heart of democratic governance: can those entrusted with public resources decide their own pay rises without violating the constitution and moral order?
In its pleadings, SERAP argues that the proposed hike runs foul of both the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the RMAFC Act. By seeking a judicial declaration that such a move is unlawful, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with the rule of law, the group has placed a spotlight on the tension between self-serving leadership and constitutionalism. To trivialise such an issue would be harum-scarum, for the constitution remains the supreme authority guiding governance.
We wholeheartedly commend SERAP for standing firm, while we roundly condemn RMAFC’s selfish proposal. Political office should never be an avenue for financial aggrandisement. Since our leaders often pontificate sacrifice to citizens, urging them to tighten their belts in the face of economic turbulence, the same leaders must embody sacrifice themselves. Anything short of this amounts to double standards and betrayal of trust.
The Nigerian economy is not buoyant enough to shoulder the additional cost of a salary increase for political leaders. Already, lawmakers and executives enjoy allowances that are grossly disproportionate to the national average income. These earnings are sufficient not only for their needs but also their unchecked greed. To even consider further increments under present circumstances is egregious, a slap in the face of ordinary workers whose minimum wage remains grossly insufficient.
Resources earmarked for such frivolities should instead be channelled towards alleviating the suffering of citizens and improving the nation’s productive capacity. According to United Nations statistics, about 62.9 per cent of Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2021, compared to 53.7 per cent in 2017. Similarly, nearly 30.9 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day. These figures paint a stark picture: Nigeria is a poor country by all measurable standards, and any extra naira diverted to elite pockets deepens this misery.
Besides, the timing of this proposal could not be more inappropriate. At a period when unemployment is soaring, inflation is crippling households, and insecurity continues to devastate communities, the RMAFC has chosen to pursue elite enrichment. It is widely known that Nigeria’s economy is in a parlous state, and public resources should be conserved and wisely invested. Political leaders must show prudence, not profligacy.
Another critical dimension is the national debt profile. According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt as of March 2025 stood at a staggering N149.39 trillion. External debt obligations also remain heavy, with about US$43 billion outstanding by September 2024. In such a climate of debt-servicing and borrowing to fund budgets, it is irresponsible for political leaders to even table the idea of inflating their salaries further. Debt repayment, not self-reward, should occupy their minds.
This ignoble proposal is insensitive, unnecessary, and profoundly reckless. It should be discarded without further delay. Public office is a trust, not an entitlement to wealth accumulation. Nigerians deserve leaders who will share in their suffering, lead by example, and prioritise the common good over self-indulgence. Anything less represents betrayal of the social contract and undermines the fragile democracy we are striving to build.
Editorial
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