Teachers’ Day: CHRCR Urges Kogi Govt to Declare Emergency in Education, Transport

By Our Reporter

The Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) has called on the Kogi State Government to urgently address the shortage of teachers in public schools and declare a state of emergency in the state’s transportation sector.

The Executive Director of CHRCR, Mr. Idris Miliki Abdul, made the call in a statement issued on Monday to commemorate the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.

Abdul described teachers as the foundation upon which every profession and institution of society is built, noting that doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, governors and presidents all passed through the hands of teachers.

He therefore urged the state government to embark on massive recruitment of qualified teachers, particularly for basic education, while also addressing manpower shortages across other levels of the education system.

According to him, teachers deserve special attention and improved welfare, while the government must urgently rehabilitate dilapidated schools and provide a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.

The human rights activist also called for the introduction of government-supported transportation arrangements across the 21 local government areas to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs on students and their families.

He said the sharp increase in fuel prices had placed an enormous burden on students, particularly those who depend on public transportation to access their schools.

Abdul further expressed concern over what he described as the continued neglect of the public transportation system in Kogi State, arguing that the burden of transportation had effectively been left to private operators.

He questioned the impact of the state Ministry of Transportation in addressing the worsening hardship faced by residents, particularly students, workers and low-income families.

“In the last ten years, the Kogi State Government has failed to improve transportation services. The inherited Confluence Transport is dead and its staff have been thrown into the labour market,” he said.

The CHRCR boss urged the administration to urgently revive and reposition public transportation in the state, stressing that government could not afford to remain passive while citizens struggled with escalating transport costs.

He called on the state government to declare a state of emergency in the transportation sector, while taking advantage of Federal Government initiatives and similar interventions by other state governments aimed at reducing the impact of transportation costs on citizens.

Abdul said such intervention would not only ease the burden on students but also improve access to education, healthcare, employment and other essential services across the state.

He congratulated teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day and urged the government to translate its appreciation for teachers from rhetoric into concrete policies that would improve their welfare and working conditions.

“Happy Teachers’ Day to all teachers who continue to shape the future of our society despite the challenges confronting the education sector,” he added.

Idris Miliki Abdul
Executive Director
Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
Lokoja, Kogi State.

October 5, 2026