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Gabriel Dike
The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) have begun moves to sensitise members for a nationwide industrial action following the expiration of an ultimatum issued to the Federal Government.
The Public Relations Officer of COEASU, Dr. Lawan Abazza, accused the government of failing to address the demands of the union over the years.
He said it was over a year it sent a document detailing the deplorable state of public colleges of education in the country to the presidency, yet without a response.
He said worried by government’s attitude to their demands, the union has scheduled its National Executive Council (NEC) for September 16 in Abuja to take a decision on the proposed strike.
Abazza debunked media reports that the union had directed its members on August 27 to commence an industrial action, saying, “we have not asked our members to start any strike. The directive will be given after our NEC meeting on September 16.”
Chairman of COEASU, College of Education, Zing, Taraba State, Dr. Muhammadu Hassan, told Daily Sun that at the chapter congress, members gave him the mandate to vote for strike at the forthcoming NEC meeting.
“We just finish our congress today (Tuesday), if the Federal Government fails to do anything before September 16, we will go on strike. We suspended our last industrial action in 2018 after government promised to address some of the demands. Up till now the government has not addressed the outstanding issues. We have not been given listening ears. Some of our demands are similar with those of our counterparts in the universities. The Federal Government has addressed most of the complaints from the universities, but the colleges of education have been abandoned. We gave government the required ultimatum and nothing has happened. My congress has given me the mandate to vote for strike. Our members are not happy about the plight of the colleges of education,’’ he said.
Abazza said despite seeking the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari on various issues militating against colleges of education, nothing had been done and that members were agitated about the government’s lackadaisical approach to issued affecting colleges of education.
