Teachers remain unpaid as gov’t claims mass cash transfers

Thousands of temporary teachers employed by Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence have yet to receive promised cash transfers from the federal government, despite enrolling in the program nearly a year ago.

The government pledged ₦25,000 monthly for three months to help citizens navigate high living costs, but Defence Ministry teachers, who signed up in January, report receiving nothing so far.

This delay contradicts claims by Finance Minister Wale Edun, who stated in October that 25 million Nigerians had received payments through a biometrically verified system as part of a social welfare scheme targeting vulnerable populations.

The temporary teachers were registered through the Ministry of Defence’s collaboration with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs for the government’s Rapid Response Register. These teachers, who work in Nigerian Armed Forces schools, provided their biometric and banking details but have yet to receive the funds.

Attempts by journalists to get responses from relevant ministries about the non-payment were met with silence. Andrew Young, a Defence Ministry official, declined to comment on the record, while other ministry contacts were unreachable.

For many teachers, who earn monthly salaries as low as ₦19,000, this exclusion from financial support adds to their hardship and has compounded feelings of neglect and abandonment by the government.

Beyond cash transfers, teachers say they were excluded from other relief efforts, such as discounted rice sales, which were offered only to permanent staff.

Meanwhile, temporary teachers continue to call for the regularization of their employment status to ensure fair treatment and access to government benefits, pointing out that multiple verification exercises for this purpose have been conducted without resolution.

As frustration mounts, these teachers are urging the government to fulfill its promises, distribute the promised funds, and address their ongoing calls for employment regularization.