The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has said poor welfare, inadequate salaries and rising living costs are making it difficult for Nigerian teachers to perform their duties effectively.
The council said teachers, who play a major role in educating children and shaping the country’s future, are facing worsening working and living conditions.
The ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a message marking the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.
Ologbondiyan described teachers as the backbone of national development, saying many had continued to work despite what he described as years of neglect and hardship.
“Nigerian teachers are true heroes. They have continued to mould lives, build character and sustain our educational system even in the face of neglect and hardship,” he said.
“We are seeing teachers struggle with rising living costs, irregular and inadequate salaries, poor welfare, limited opportunities for training and deteriorating school infrastructure,” he said.
Ologbondiyan also linked the difficulties to the removal of the petroleum subsidy, saying teachers had not received adequate support to cope with the resulting increase in the cost of living.
He questioned how teachers could perform effectively when they struggled to meet basic needs such as transportation, healthcare and accommodation.
“How can a teacher teach effectively on an empty stomach?” he asked.
He added that high transport costs, inadequate salaries, limited access to medical insurance and the high cost of decent accommodation were placing additional pressure on teachers.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council also alleged that the teaching profession had been devalued under the All Progressives Congress-led administration.
It cited what it described as poor remuneration for primary and secondary school teachers and repeated industrial actions by tertiary education workers over welfare and working conditions.
Ologbondiyan said teachers had continued to perform their duties and deserved improved working conditions and professional support.
He said an ADC administration led by its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would make education and teachers’ welfare a priority if elected in 2027.
According to him, the proposed measures would include better wages and allowances, health insurance, affordable housing, professional development and improved teaching and learning facilities.