TUESDAY- 16th November, 2021: The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Delta State chapter, has allegedly suspended one Goodluck Ejezire, a primary school teacher in Isoko South council for 3 months for participating in a protest organised by the union on the day Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s father was buried.
Reports claim that the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN), had on February 16, 2021, the same day the governor’s father, Pa Okorie Arthur Okowa, was buried in Ika North East Council of the state, protested, demanding their entitlements.
However, Ejezire was slammed with three months suspension about 10 months after the protest, immediately he announced his intentions to contest for the position of chairman in the local NUT elections that took place on Monday.
It was further learned that Ejezire’s suspension was “an order from above, which some teachers in the area were not too comfortable with.”
Ejezire told reporters that his suspension was nothing but “illegal, unconstitutional and a witch-hunt,” adding, “I was suspended by the state Chairman of NUT, Titus Okotie, masterminded by the state NUT treasurer, Sunday Eterigho, and others, saying that I took part in a protest organised by teachers across the 25 local government areas in the state under the umbrella of Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN), on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, which coincided with the day the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was burying his late father at Owa-Alero. The protest that was done almost ten months ago, why bring it now that I am contesting for an election? It is just a witch-hunt.”
The state NUT Chairman, Titus Okotie, confirmed the suspension but directed our correspondent to get details from the suspended teacher.
Ejezire’s suspension letter was titled, “Involvement In Anti-Union Activities: Suspension From NUT”, was signed by NUT state Secretary, Dan Basime, on November 5, 2021, and also stated that he had been suspended for three months for his alleged involvement in what it called ‘anti-union activities.
