Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi, on Thursday expressed concern over rising cases of drug addiction among teachers in the state and urged the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to help address the menace.
The governor said this in an address to mark the World Teachers’ Day in Birnin Kebbi, organised by NUT and Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS).
He said the government was also disturbed by the scale of absenteeism among teachers.
Bagudu said the two unions must partner the government to address the situation, noting that, “if we pay lip service to lapses in our educational system, we are throwing away the future of our children and our tomorrow’s leaders.
“I was at a community recently during one of my inspections to schools in the state and one of the elders of the community told me that nine out of the 11 teachers in that school are drug addicts and they are well known in the community.”
He said the state’s education sector must be made better for it to produce young people who would compete with others from across the country.
Bagudu therefore urged the unions to take urgent measures to check their members involved in drugs and those absenting themselves from work.
“If we don’t agree as a people to give priority to education we are toying with our destiny,” he added.
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