NTI centre managers begin one-month warning strike over unpaid allowances

The National Centre Managers’ Forum (NCMF) of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, has announced a one-month warning strike starting Monday, 12 October, over unpaid honouraria that it says date back to 2020.

The strike, which begins on Monday, 12 October, is expected to last until 12 November, according to a notice signed by the forum’s National Chairman, Tam Frank, and National Secretary, Mamuda Doguwa.

The notice, shared with PREMIUM TIMES, directed centre managers overseeing NTI study centres across the country to suspend activities under the institute’s various programmes.

The forum said the decision followed several unsuccessful attempts to secure payment of the outstanding honoraria.

“Despite our persistent efforts and engagements with the appropriate authorities, the outstanding payments remain unsettled, with no tangible response or concrete commitment to resolving the matter,” the notice reads in part.

“Consequently, following repeated demands from our members across the nation and the resolution reached at the NCMF leadership meeting held on 8 October, 2026, the leadership has been left with no option but to declare a one-month warning strike to press home our legitimate demands.”

Outstanding payments

The forum said its members were owed honoraria for the first and second semesters of each year from 2020 to 2025, as well as the first semester of 2026.

It said it had written to the NTI management on 13 July and subsequently held discussions with officials at the institute’s headquarters, but the payments remained outstanding.

According to the notice, the failure to resolve the matter prompted the decision to suspend activities across NTI programmes nationwide.

The affected programmes include the Pivotal Teacher Training Programme (PTTP), Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), Bachelor’s Degree Programmes (BDPs) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

Members were also directed to suspend project supervision and teaching practice arrangements and refrain from attending virtual or physical meetings convened by state or zonal offices.

The forum urged members to rely on its official communication channels for updates throughout the strike.

Threat of indefinite strike

Despite the industrial action, the forum said it remained open to constructive engagement and dialogue with the relevant authorities.

It, however, warned that it would begin preparations for an indefinite strike if its demands were not addressed by the end of the one-month warning strike.

The Director-General of NTI, Sadiya Daura, a professor, did not respond to a phone call and text message seeking comments on the allegations as of the time of filing this report.