A school teacher in Kebbi State, Abduljalal Usman, has been suspended for three months without pay after publicly criticising a Ramadan palliative distributed by the state government.
Usman, who works under the state government, shared a video on his Facebook page on Wednesday expressing dissatisfaction with the food items provided to teachers as part of the Ramadan support programme.
In the video, recorded in Hausa, he revealed that Governor Nasir Idris had given him only one mudu (a local measurement bowl) each of rice and millet.
“As a school teacher, this is what His Excellency has given me in the name of support,” Usman said, showing the items to the camera.
The video quickly went viral, with Usman emphasising that the gesture was insufficient given the workload and responsibilities of teachers.
Two days later, he announced that he had been suspended for three months, attributing the action to his public criticism of the Ramadan palliative.
A suspension letter issued by the Dandi Local Government Education Authority cited “negligence and defaulting on duty” as the reason for his removal.
“For negligence and defaulting in duty, the authority is hereby suspending you from duty for a period of three months,” the letter read. The notice was issued by the Office of the Education Secretary in Dandi Local Government Area.
Efforts to obtain official comment from the Kebbi State Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education were unsuccessful, with ministry officials saying they were unaware of the suspension.
The incident has sparked debate on social media about the treatment of teachers who speak out against government policies and the adequacy of Ramadan support provided to public workers
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