Yahaya-Bello of Kogi State
Protesting students of Kogi State University, Ayangba, on Thursday blocked major roads leading into and out of Lokoja, thereby paralysing socio-economic activities for hours.
The students, who were protesting against three months closure of the university due to lecturers’ unpaid salaries, said they were tired of staying at home.
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi had repeatedly appealed to the lecturers to call off the strike to no avail.
Bello had at stakeholders’ forum on July 5, said government had met 80 per cent of the lecturers’ demands, wondering why they were still on the strike.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Strategy, Malam Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, said the ongoing ASUU strike was premised on falsehood.
He stated that government had offset four out of five months salaries owed them, adding that the lecturers’ refusal to call off the strike remained a shock to government.
“I am saying very clearly that only 40 per cent of the bailout was released and the state government was magnanimous enough to pay them four months salaries.
“If they are asking for more, where do they want the government to take the balance of the bailout from?
“ASUU should also bear in mind that other teachers and civil servants are part of the bailout, so the strike is ill- motivated“, he said.
He charged the students to hold their lecturers responsible for their fate.
“The truth of the matter is that there are unseen hands behind the unrest”, Abdulmalik contended.
The Chairman of the university‘s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had at a news conference in Lokoja on July 10 insisted that they will not call off the strike until their demands were met 100 per cent.
However, the visibly angry students insisted that the state government and the striking lecturers must quickly resolve their …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
