Public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State have been directed to return to their classrooms on Thursday, following the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) decision to suspend its month-long indefinite strike.
The union had initially ordered a total shutdown of public schools across the state on June 1.
The industrial action was a direct response to a harrowing incident on May 15, when gunmen invaded three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area—Community Grammar School Ahoro-Esinle, L.A. Primary School Ahoro-Esinle, and Baptist Nursery and Primary School Yawota—abducting several teachers and students.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, July 1, the Oyo State NUT Chairman, Hassan Fatai, and Secretary, Olukayode Salami, revealed that the decision to pause the strike came after directives from the union’s national leadership.
The breakthrough follows intensive dialogues with the state government, which provided concrete commitments to bolster security around educational institutions.
According to the NUT leadership, the suspension prioritizes the collective welfare of the educators, the students, and the general public, provided the government honors its new security pledges.
