Lecturers of all the state-owned tertiary institutions in late January and early February this year, embarked on an indefinite strike over issues bordering majorly on non-payment of salaries, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), non-clearance of some lecturers by the staff screening/verification committee, non-constitution of governing councils and other sundry demands.
The tertiary institutions that embarked on the strike include: Kogi State University, Anyigba; Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja; College of Health Technology, Idah; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Obangede; College of Education, Ankpa and College of Education (Technical) Kabba.
Following the prolonged strike, students at some point took to the streets to ventilate their frustration over the negative impact the unrest was having on their academic development.
Touring tertiary institutions to end face off
Piqued by the continued industrial action, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, undertook a tour of all the institutions to meet with stakeholders in a bid to find a lasting peace.
He began with the College of Health Technology, Idah from where he moved to the Kogi State University, Anyigba and the College of Education at Ankpa.
The governor also met with stakeholders at the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, College of Education (Technical), Kabba and the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Obagande.
At each of the institution visited, the governor was told the myriads of challenges hampering the tertiary education sector which bordered majorly on payment of salaries/allowances, promotion of staff, infrastructural decay, poor funding, insecurity, inadequate hostel accommodation and lecture halls, among others.
Bello had during the visits promised that salaries and allowances owed the workers would be paid before the end of the month, assuring that his administration was ready to accord “practical solutions” to the problems facing the tertiary institutions.
He said his administration would not consider politics, mediocrity and sentiments in resolving the problems.
Bello, however, appealed to the striking workers to stop beating the drums of war and reason with government on the need to develop education in the state.
Following the tour and the appeals made by the governor, the lecturers under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) resumed academic activities, while their Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) counterpart at the Kogi State University ASUU-KSU insisted on getting their salaries as promised by the governor before going back to class.
Bello, ASUU tangle over proscription order
But not comfortable with the stand of ASUU, the governor on July 19 made a proclamation banning all activities of ASUU at the university for failing to call off its seven month-old strike after government had allegedly met 90 percent of its demands.
Bello, who made a proclamation in Lokoja, after a decision reached on the matter by the state executive council, directed all academic staff of the institution to resume academic activities immediately or assume that they are no longer in the employment of the state government and the university.
Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that the proscription order was handed down at a time that ASUU was said to be planning to convene a congress to end their prolonged industrial unrest.
The governor said that the lecturers had been paid their salaries and that there was no justification for them to continue their industrial action.
He ordered the management of the institution to take immediate steps to find and engage suitable replacements for all crucial staff vacancies including those who have left or may wish to leave and all those who are deemed to have left the services of the university pursuant to the proclamation.
“In effect, the Governing Council of the university and the management of KSU and the management of the ministry of education are hereby directed to immediately start the process of employing all categories of academic staff,” he said.
Infact, in vacancy advertisements for various positions of lecturers in many newspapers last week signed by the Registrar/Secretary to Council, Kogi State University, Dr Y.I. Abubakar, a clause stated that: “This recruitment exercise is premised on the proclamation by the Visitor, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, lifting ban on employment in the university.”
Bello also directed all the relevant security agencies in the state to be on the look-out and live up to their responsibilities to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order as a result of the proclamation.
He explained further that the activities of ASUU in the university have obstructed and disrupted the provision of essential services in education, “thereby occasioning psychological trauma and irrevocable loss to the lawful recipients.”
Besides, the governor said: “The Kogi government is forced to believe that ASUU-KSU and her members for no justifiable cause have deliberately persisted in the breach of their responsibilities as employees of the Kogi State government, working in an institution providing essential services, which is education.”
However, the Zonal Coordinator, Nsukka Zone of the union, Prof David Ikoni, told newsmen in Lokoja that the action of the governor revealed his “ignorance of the law and the rules guiding the operations of ASUU.
“By section 40 of the Constitution, every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons and in particular he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interest,” he said.
He argued that ASUU, as a trade union with several members, had every right to agitate and struggle for the protection of the interest and welfare of its members especially in a democratic setting.
“It is evident that some academic staff of the university, are yet to receive their salaries for upward of 14 months contrary to the statement credited to the governor that they have fulfilled over 90 percent of their demand and have gone a step further to pay all outstanding salaries of both cleared and uncleared staffs including those that have committed one crime or the other,” Prof Ikoni said.
According to him, as an end to the strike, the union demands equivocal withdrawal of the statement allegedly proscribing ASUU-KSU, with an apology to the members and the general public, payment of arrears of 14 months salaries owed academic staff, especially those employed following due process, in 2015.
The National Executive Committee of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also instructed its members in the Kogi State University, Ayingba, to continue their strike until the proscription order is reversed.
This was contained in a resolution jointly signed by the convener, ASUU National Executive Committee, visitation committee, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, Acting chairperson, ASUU Kogi State University chapter, Dr Daniel O Aina and Assistant Secretary, Dr M. A. Daikwo, after the union held its congress outside the university campus in Anyigba.
Mohammed advised the state government to address all outstanding issues, including payment of salaries to all categories of staff.
He said ASUU has resolved to sanction any member who violates the resolution of the congress by signing the register with a view to resume work.
The resolution reads in parts, “the congress of ASUU-KSU, Anyigba met on the 25th July, 2017, for the first time in the history of the university, outside the campus in the conference Hall of Harbour Bay Guest House, Anyigba, reviewed the on-going strike action embarked upon by the members of the union, the illegal proscription of ASUU-KSU, Anyigba by the Governor of Kogi State and to chart a way forward and resolved as follows:
“That the holding of the congress meeting outside the university campus was consequent on the refusal of the university administration to allow the union meet on the prescient of the university as part of the implementation of the purported proscription of the ASUU-KSU, by the governor of Kogi State.
“That the proscription of the ASUU-KSU, Anyigba by the governor of Kogi State is unconstitutional, null, void and of no consequence whatever.
“To continue the strike action until the alleged proscription order is reversed and all outstanding issues including payment of salaries to all categories of staff and EAA are settled.
“To sanction any member who violates the resolution of Congress by signing the register with the view to resume work.”
Save our future, students tell Bello, ASUU
But students who have been at the receiving end of the face-off have appealed to the government and ASUU to end the impasse to enable them resume academic activities.
The President, Students Union Government (SUG) of the university, Comrade Philip Omepa, lamented the trauma many of them had gone through since the inception of the strike action.
“We have actually wasted seven months of the year, our mates who graduated from other institutions have already gone for their National Youth Service while we are still left behind.
“The next batch of NYSC is supposed to be mobilised in November, but with the look of things, I doubt if our students would be able to make it because our scripts are still with the lecturers.
“The two parties should sheath their swords in the interest of the students. The future of the state depends on us. They are our parents and should know what is good for us,” he said.
Credits: Daniel Sule Itodo | Daily Trust
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