The Lagos State Government has decided to pay the same amount of money, which is N35,000, as a monthly palliative allowance to its primary school teachers, just as it has been done for the secondary school teachers and other civil servants in state employment since January.

The state’s commissioner for basic and secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, dropped this hint during a stakeholders meeting between the officials of the ministry and the leadership of the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) held in his office on Wednesday.

According to a statement made available by the head of the public affairs unit of the ministry, Mr Ganiu Lawal, on Thursday, the commissioner disclosed that the state’s governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had already approved the parity in the payment, directing that all the primary school teachers should also now be paying the same N35,000 with other civil servants against the N20,000 they were paid before.

The wage award is a palliative allowance to lessen the financial burdens due to economic hardship on the state’s government workers, just like many other Nigerians pending when the national minimum wage review will be completed.

In his remarks about the development, NUT State’s chairman, who led the executive committees to the meeting, Mr Hassan Akintoye, commended the state government and Governor Sanwo-Olu in particular for the gesture.

He stated that the development would certainly appease the grievances of teachers at that level of education against the initial disparity.

While appreciating the state government for its unwavering love for teachers and the development of education generally in the state, the NUT boss promised a stronger commitment of teachers to the state education development.

He said teachers’ roles in providing quality education for the people of the state are unquantifiable.