The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Kwara state wing has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the state government to pay the three months salary arrears of their members in the junior and primary school cadres or risk full-scale industrial strike action. The union said the ultimatum commenced on September 3. But the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, in a reaction over the weekend said: "there is no basis for the 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government by the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over salary arrears owed to primary school teachers' in the state.

Ahmed, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said the teachers' ultimatum was unwarranted and misplaced as the state government was not responsible for the salaries of primary school teachers and other local government workers.

The governor rejected NUT's allegation that the state was discriminating between secondary and primary school teachers as incorrect, stressing that the state government paid the salary arrears of its workers, including secondary school teachers, following receipt of its share of the bailout loan.

He stated that the approved N5billion bailout loan for the 16 local government councils in the state was yet to be released by the CBN despite the government's compliance with the required paperwork.

Ahmed therefore urged the teachers to withdraw the ultimatum and exercise patience as the government was doing all in its power to secure the release of the outstanding funds from the CBN.

However, a statement issued by the NUT in Ilorin signed by the state chairman and secretary, Musa Abubakar and Ola Idris respectively, a copy of which was made available to THISDAY in Ilorin said "despite repeated demands and several representations to government, there has not been any positive response from the state government."

The union at the end of the state's executive council meeting resolved among others "that the state government should pay all outstanding salaries of primary and junior secondary school teachers of June, July and August 2015 without any further delay.

"That all deductions from teachers' salaries for the aforementioned months should be equally paid without delay and that a-14 day ultimatum is hereby given from 3rd of September, 2015 to the state government to address the issues of primary school teachers, failure of which an industrial action shall be declared", the union added.