NUT officials have no authority to authorise salary deductions

Primary school teachers across the 16 local government councils of Taraba State have rejected the explanation offered by the Taraba State Universal Basic Education Board (TSUBEB) and the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over the deduction of N5,000 from their salaries and arrears.

The teachers, under the aegis of Concerned Affected Teachers of Taraba State, described the deduction as illegal, unjust and an alleged act of extortion.

In a statement signed by their spokesperson, Comrade Rilwanu Aliyu Dasso II, dated Friday, August 14, 2026, the teachers said TSUBEB had deducted the money from their earnings under the guise of payment for permanent identity cards.

“The cost of administrative requirements, including staff identification cards, biometric data capture and personnel databases, should be borne by the employer rather than employees,” the teachers argued.

They maintained that while they supported efforts to modernise the education sector and improve administrative efficiency, such initiatives should not be funded through compulsory deductions from workers’ salaries.

The teachers also faulted TSUBEB’s claim that the deduction was discussed with and supported by the NUT leadership.

“Union officials do not have the authority to authorise deductions from individual members’ statutory earnings without appropriate approval from the affected workers,” the affected teachers said.

They further described the alleged support of the deduction by the NUT leadership as a betrayal of the interests of teachers whom the union is expected to protect.

The group said the N5,000 deduction came after an earlier N3,000 deduction for APER forms, arguing that the cumulative deductions were placing additional financial pressure on teachers amid the prevailing economic hardship.

The teachers also questioned the claimed N5,000 cost of a biometric identity card and demanded transparency over the procurement process.

“We are calling on TSUBEB to disclose the company awarded the contract, explain whether competitive bidding was conducted and clarify why the cost was not provided for in the state’s education budget if the identity card project was a government priority,” the statement read.

They further alleged that deducting money from teachers’ salaries without prior individual notification or a clear legal framework constituted an abuse of administrative authority.

“We categorically reject the N5,000 deduction,” the teachers said, describing the explanation provided by TSUBEB as inadequate.

They appealed to Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, to investigate the matter and direct the immediate refund of the deducted funds.

The teachers said they remained committed to their duties but would resist what they described as unjustified deductions from their hard-earned income.