A level 17 teacher in Lagos State Tuesday died in an early morning car crash on her way to work, a report by TheGuardian has shown.
The teacher identified as Mrs Ikeji was teaching at Lagos State-owned Festac Girls Senior Secondary School until her death.
One of the non-teaching staff in the school told The Guardian that the teacher was living in Agege and had to travel to Festac every day to teach.
“She was rushing down to the school that day because her students had NECO Home Economics practical in the morning,” the staff said.
“She died on her way here. A teacher was brought in from another school to help the students.”
The Guardian learned that Ikeji was transferred to Festac Girls in District V in 2015 from a school in Agege (District I).
Such a transfer, even if requested by a teacher, is usually difficult to achieve.
Another teacher, who was transferred from District I to Mile 2, also in District V, said the authorities of District I complained that there were fewer teachers in District V. Hence, the transfer.
Before her death, Ikeji pushed for her transfer back to District I in Agege on several times without any success.
A teacher who knew her said the deceased was always fatigued due to the distance she had to travel every day.
“Moreover, she had a sick husband she catered to and combining that with the long journey to work affected her,” the teacher said.
An official of District V under which Ikeji worked said there are currently many teachers who travel far distances to work every day.
The official admitted that it sometimes because of administrative lapses. Sometimes, the official said, the fault may that of the teachers.
“Sometimes, these teachers build houses on the outskirts of Lagos, far away from their current duty posts,” the official said.
“In such cases, we cannot ask them to not move to their houses.”
“In some case, we transfer teachers to places where they are needed.
“There are teachers who travel to Mile 2 and Festac every day from Badagry. Some from Akute in Ogun State.”
Efforts to get a family source to speak was unfruitful.