A N5,000 deduction from the salaries and arrears of primary school teachers in Taraba State has sparked controversy, with affected teachers questioning the basis and approval for the collection.
The deduction came to public attention after some teachers discovered that N5,000 had been removed from their payments, prompting claims on social media that the Taraba State Universal Basic Education Board (TSUBEB) had unlawfully deducted money from their earnings.
However, TSUBEB has dismissed the allegation, saying the deduction was approved to fund the production of permanent identity cards for primary school teachers across the state.
In a statement issued through its Public Relations Department, the board said the identity card project was intended to improve the identification and documentation of teachers and support the development of an accurate personnel database for the basic education sector.
TSUBEB said the initiative was discussed with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Taraba State Wing, and received the union’s support after consultations.
The board said the permanent identity cards would contain modern security features and provide an official means of identifying teachers, while strengthening personnel management and accountability.
It also clarified that the N5,000 deduction was not payment for a loan, debt or any other financial obligation.
The NUT subsequently defended the deduction, saying the arrangement had been agreed with the relevant authorities in 2024.
The state NUT Chairman, Nathan Solomon, said it was agreed that N5,000 would be deducted from teachers’ salary arrears when they were eventually paid to finance the production of the identity cards.
According to him, the initiative would help the government establish the actual number of teachers in the state and maintain reliable records of personnel in the teaching profession.
He added that the identity cards could also assist with identification and documentation during future promotion exercises.
Solomon urged teachers and members of the public to verify information about the deduction before circulating claims on social media.
The controversy is not the first to surround deductions from workers’ pay in Taraba this year.
Earlier, the state government explained a separate N3,000 deduction from workers’ January salaries as payment for the production of Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) forms.
