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Osun Govt Pressures NUT Chairman To Resign Over Interview With OSUN DEFENDER

BySodiq Yusuf

PublishedMay 9, 2025

As Adeleke States Reasons For Delay In Teachers’ Recruitment

The Osun State Government has been accused of pressuring the chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, Comrade Muritala Fatade to step down from his position.

The development, according to findings by the medium, was as a result of an April 2024 interview Fatade granted OSUN DEFENDER, where he condemned Governor Ademola on the sudden implementation of the Teachers’ Tenure Elongation Policy.

Recall that the number one teacher in the state, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER in 2024, accused Adeleke of betraying their trust for implementing the policy, adding that they received the news with shock.

He said the state government has begun to remove teachers’ names from the state government payroll without giving an ultimatum for them to decide whether they want to quit or fulfil the eligibility guideline to stay in the service for the next five years.

According to him, one of their colleagues in Ejigbo died upon hearing the news.

He said, “We received the news with shock because we are still in dialogue with the state government. Both the teachers’ union and state government were unable to shift ground on some of our resolutions in some of our meetings. So, we still have pending discussions and they promised to invite us to conclude on some of our resolutions.

“But there was no response from them since we adjourned the meeting two months ago.

“What we heard after was that they have issued a circular on the new retirement age. They also didn’t serve us the circular before they begin to remove names of some teachers.

“We are surprised to wake up to such development since we’re still in dialogue, and the government took such action without getting back to us. We will only appeal to the government to reconsider whatever decision they are taking because the decision is now having effect on the health of some teachers.

“I got report that a teacher has died in Egbedore local government as a result of the shock he received after hearing the news while some are hospitalised.

Fatade, who was elected as the NUT chairman on December 13, 2022, was made to resign on April 1, 2025, a development that cuts his four-year tenure short.

A source within the Osun NUT who confirmed the development to OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday said Fatade started having issues with the state government after the interview.

According to him, the Adeleke administration accused him of working with the opposition to grant such an interview.

“He is no longer the NUT chairman. They have replaced him with his deputy, Comrade Babatunde Isaac on April 1, 2025. He started having issues with the government after his interview with your medium on the teachers’ elongation policy.

“I learnt that he was invited after the interview and was condemned by the government for that. Since then, he has been facing series of issues with them. They accused him of working for the opposition.”

Also, Governor Adeleke has again promised that the issue of teachers’ recruitment will soon be resolved, saying his administration is juggling so many issues together at the same time.

He stated this in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, while reacting to the new feat by the state in the National Examination.

Meanwhile, the promise is coming two months after he ordered the immediate issuance of appointment letters to the newly recruited teachers.

“We will soon resolve the issue of teachers’ recruitment. Our government is juggling so many issues together at the same time. We seek to avoid financial gridlock, which can result without careful planning”, the Governor was quoted as saying.

Reacting to the promises made by the state government on the issue of the appointment letters for the new teachers, a resident of the state, Emmanuel Ade chided Adeleke, saying he is making the same mistakes.

According to Ade, the government has alluded paucity of funds to explain the delay in the recruitment process, but has been constructing roads and bridges across the state.

He stated this while reacting to a comment recently made by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, while featuring on a radio programme in Osogbo.

“The commissioner of Education knew they needed to recruit and employ teachers by April 2024. He said it on Radio in February 2024, how urgent it is to employ teachers into public schools immediately.

“These Kolapo Alimi and co are the one who advised Mr. Governor otherwise. He listened to them and he is doing exactly what Oyetola did. He is making the same mistake Oyetola made by saying no money yet.

“You know no money yet you declare the recruitment of 5000 teachers. After that you realize there is no money yet but there is money to construct bridges with billions of naira while education of public children are lacking.

“So the Commissioner of Education is tired and he is not happy with the situation. He has no power to conclude the process since it is Mr. Governor that will sign payment of staff.

He is not motivated to come to Radio to lie again so he leaves Kolapo Alimi to do the job of lie since he is the that turn the head of Mr. Governor against the recruitment.

“The same Kolapo Alimi was saying because of new minimum wage in December last year. He even said by first week of February it will be concluded. Now he saying another lie. That is a sign of an unserious government.

“Na politics they will use it to do next year. The money they claimed it is not available will be available two months to election. The general public is waiting for them,” he wrote.

Sodiq Yusuf

Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.