The Chairman of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, Comrade Dr Stephen Adalooh Knabayi has been unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress FCT Chapter as majority of the delegates expressed deep appreciation for his unwavering courage, utmost dedication and relentless exertions aimed at raising the welfare and well-being of teachers and other categories of workers in the FCT not caring whose ox was gored in the process.
As an added feather to his much festooned hat, the indefatigable Peoples Comrade has also bagged the prestigious Man of the Year Award 2023 bestowed on him by an agglomeration of civil advocacy groups, public policy think tanks, blue chip apparatchiks, social affairs commentariats and the mass media punditocracy under the aegis of the Citizens United to Save Humanity (CUSH) for his ‘painstaking courage, unstinting perseverance, resolute consistency, unvarnished integrity, uncompromising resilience and undaunted tenacity in agitating for the rights and privileges of the FCT teachers as well as uplifting their overall welfare and well-being to the highest levels possible not caring whose ox is gored in the process’.
According to the CUSH citation: The tough, indefatigable, principled and uncompromising Comrade Stephen Knabayi has led by example and not by precept as he actively practises what he preaches and unlike some other union leaders, he is squarely front and centre in the yeoman’s struggle for the advancement of the welfare and well-being of the primary and secondary teachers in the Federal Capital Territory.
Indeed, Comrade Stephen Knabayi keeps an eagle-eyed watch over the state of affairs of the teachers, their conditions of service, the payment of their salaries, emoluments, pension and gratuities, their training and re-training modules, the availability of modern teaching tools and equipment and all other issues affecting the teaching profession and the teachers themselves.
And where the hardworking teachers are being exploited or about to be shortchanged, the ever agile Peoples Comrade will immediately swing into action, marshalling his legion of union activists and leading them into action against the authority, person or establishment that is trampling on the rights of his beloved teachers.
For instance, in November 2021 and February 2022, a combative Comrade Knabayi mandated several strike actions to compel the payment of arrears of salaries, allowances and other emoluments owed teachers and he signalled that the strike actions would be continued until the teachers are paid their due. This tenacious stance by the NUT boss bore fruit as the secondary and primary school teachers are receiving their minimum wage salaries promptly and it only remains the arrears of the primary school teachers that are awaiting payment as soon as practicable.
Indeed Comrade Stephen Knabayi does not give the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) or the Area Councils, a breathing space as far as workers rights and entitlements are concerned; he has even cautioned the Area Council chairmen against any attempt to sack Local Education Authority (LEA) teachers, vowing that such a move will be resisted by the entirety of the NUT utilising all legal, legitimate and constitutional means at their disposal.
No stranger to mass action, a fiery Comrade Knabayi was part of the NLC national coalition that organised the ‘mother of all strike actions’ in Kaduna State a few years ago that compelled a recalcitrant Governor Nasir El-Rufai to recall thousands of teachers that were unlawfully laid off by his administration.
Only recently, a proactive Comrade Knabayi waded into the knotty issue of non-delivery of purchased laptops to 5,000 FCT teachers by the FCT SUBEB, his timely intervention has resulted in the delivery of laptops to 4,000 teachers and counting within the FCT.
Promotional arrears, a previously contentious issue between the NUT and the Area Councils is been paid as and when due and the critical training and re-training of FCT teachers is proceeding at a regular and frenetic pace under Stephen Knabayi’s close watch while NUT regulation and supervision of teachers has entered overdrive, their performance has improved drastically such that disciplinary actions against erring teachers has reached historic lows under the NUT supremo’s able leadership.
As the years roll by a stellar performing Comrade Stephen Knabayi can point to some other noteworthy accomplishments including the resumed payment of teachers salaries and emoluments, the landmark Elongation of the retirement age of FCT teachers to 65 years of age, the Establishment of an additional four union branches in the FCT for administrative convenience, the Reconstruction of the previously dilapidated NUT Teachers House to a 24- room ultra modern story building, the Rapid growth of the FCT NUT Multipurpose Co –operative society with over 13, 000 teacher subscribers at present, Commencement of operation and upgrading of NUT FCT Guest House, Installation of a Giant Transformer at the Teachers House, Connection of both Teachers House and NUT Guest House to the National Grid, Purchase of Mikano Generators for the Teachers House and NUT Guest House, Mobilization of all eligible teachers to register with TRCN, Regular payment of teacher’s salaries and up to date promotion of teachers, Upgrading of FCT Graduate Teachers to Grade Level 17 (Principal Directors in Schools) , Recruitment and Promotion of NUT staff and Constantly pushing for the regular training and re-training of FCT teachers for enhanced capacity building and improved service delivery.
And there are a lot of goodies awaiting the FCT teachers as a forward looking Comrade Stephen Knabayi unveils more policy strategies and activist strategems aimed at taking the struggle for the welfare and well-being of the toiling teachers of the FCT to the highest level possible in the relevant scheme of things. With Comrade Knabayi’s unwavering and unrelenting leadership, better days are indeed here again for the hardworking teachers of the FCT. Of this, there is no iota of doubt as Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascertia is the formidable mantra of Comrade Stephen Adalooh Knabayi, the brand new NLC Chairman,FCT. To God be the glory’ – the CUSH citation signed by the group’s Convener – Oloye Bamidele Martins concluded.
