By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has announced plans to stage a peaceful protest in Delta State over what it described as attempts to divide the union and undermine a stakeholders’ agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASSUS) in 2018.
The protest is scheduled for Thursday, 30 July, 2026. Ahead of the demonstration, the union has notified the Department of State Services (DSS), requesting security protection for its members.
According to a letter dated Friday, 24 July, 2026 and signed by the Delta State Secretary of the union, Mr Dan Basime, the action became necessary following recent developments which, it said, could threaten industrial harmony in the state’s education sector.
The union explained that its decision was prompted by a meeting convened on July 20 by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government with ASSUS and other stakeholders to deliberate on the reversal of the ₦500 check-off levy deduction by the Office of the Head of Service.
However, in a separate letter dated July 23 and addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, the NUT protested its exclusion from the meeting.
The union argued that, as a major stakeholder and one of the signatories to the 2018 agreement, no discussion concerning the check-off levy should have taken place without its participation.
It warned that deliberations on issues affecting the union in its absence could create unnecessary divisions among workers and undermine the industrial peace that has existed in the education sector.
The NUT further maintained that matters relating to trade unions and check-off dues are regulated by federal law and fall within the statutory authority of the Registrar of Trade Unions.
According to the union, no association has the legal authority to alter existing arrangements outside the provisions of the law.
The union recalled that the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in 2018 approved a quarterly ₦500 levy and insisted that no subsequent meeting had been held to review or amend that resolution.
It, therefore, contended that any attempt to reverse or modify the agreement without the participation of all parties to the original understanding would amount to a breach of the consensus reached at the time.
While reaffirming its commitment to dialogue and collective bargaining as the preferred means of resolving industrial disputes, the NUT stressed that its disposition towards peaceful engagement should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness.
The union also reaffirmed its support for the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the implementation of the state’s M.O.R.E. Agenda.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Delta State Government nor the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools had responded to the planned protest or the issues raised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers.
