By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Niger State chapter, has denied knowledge of a breakaway group from the union.
The state NUT Chairman, Ibrahim Umar, was responding to the alleged threats by some 3, 300 secondary school teachers to pullout from the NUT and form a parallel body under a new name.
Umar in a telephone interview in Minna said that the the NUT in Niger State was hearing about the splinter group just like any other person, stressing that the said group was yet to formally communicate to NUT in the state of its grievances.
According to the NUT chairman, “As far as we are concerned, what you are asking about splinter group is mere rumour. We don’t even know the people, their grievances or what they are agitating for and that is why we believe that it is mere rumour”.
Umar, who however explained that the NUT was not against anybody wishing to re-align with any other group or union, told our correspondent how he and other executive members of the union had been inundated with calls and inquiries about the existence of splinter union.
Meanwhile, Niger State government has challenged aggrieved members of the NUT to embrace dialogue in resolving misunderstanding for the overall interest of the union rather than form a parallel union that would do either of the groups no good.