Tony Osauzo, Benin
Protesting Staff and Pensioners  of the Edo State College of Education, Ekiadolor, yesterday, clashed with security officers at Edo Government House in Benin City, during the continuation of their peaceful protest to back their demand for payment of their outstanding 11 months arrears of salaries and pensions. 
The workers who were dressed in black attires, clashed with the security men at the entrance to the  Government House when security men at the gate, joined by the workers of the State Public Safety and Works Volunteer (PUWOV)  and officials of the State Traffic Management Agency (ESTMA), tried to prevent them from getting close to the gate.
The workers, however, put up resistance by forcefully pushing back the barricade put up by the security personnel.
They said they wound not be deterred by the ploy of the government to force them to stop the protest which began since July 20.
Leader of the protesters and President, College of Education Acedemic Union (COASU), Mr Fred Omonuwa, said, “We are law abiding people and will never take law into our hands” and expressed disappointment with the state government for linking their protest to politics.
“When they came to our school to placate us not to protest we were not being sponsored. It is just blackmail.
“The government has tried to blackmail us by saying we are being sponsored by his political opponents, but we will not be blackmailed on the alter of politics for demanding for our rights.
“We have been on this protest on a daily basis since July 20 when we started and we are determined to continue with the protest until our demands are met”, Omonuwa said.
Recall that the Commissioner for Education, Mr Jimoh Ijegbai, had denied the claims by the protesters of being owed by the government, adding that‎ the workers were being paid even while they were not working.
He traced the genesis of the agitation by the workers to the policies of former Governor  Adams Oshiomhole, who he said  converted the college to Tayo Akpata University without a clear-cut direction on managing the interest of the workers.
“In 2016, the then Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole announced that the College of Education, Ekiadolor was being phased out and would then be Tayo Akpata University, Ekiadolor.
“Before then, Comrade Oshiomhole had put in a place a policy where the tertiary institutions were going to generate 35 percent of their salaries, while government would contribute the remaining 65 percent.
“At the end of that administration, the government was owing them six months salary arrears”, Ijegbai said.