Colleges of Education lecturers begin seven-day strike

Three months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), shut down academic activities in both Federal and State’s universities across the country, lecturers in colleges of education, under the umbrella body of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had on Tuesday, began a 7-day warning strike to press home their own demands from the Federal and States Governments.

While joining their colleagues in other colleges, Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo chapter of COEASU on Monday closed down the main entrance to the college and brought every activities on the campus to a halt in an early mourning protest march.

Chairman of COEASU in the college and the national Vice-President of the union, Samuel Akintunde and Smart Olugbeko, respectively led other members in the protest March that preceded today’s (Tuesday) commencement of the strike action.

The union leaders said COEASU embarked on the strike action over failure of the Federal Government to honour the gentleman agreement it entered with the teachers’ union in 2009.

The union also condemned the protracted delay in the release of the White Paper of the Presidential Visitation panels to Federal Colleges of Education, arguing that the delay could only be understood as a deliberate and calculated attempt at not addressing the critical issues that the panels unearthed.

It also rejected the introduction of Integrated Personnel Payment System (IPPIS), stressing that it was not only retrogressive, but infringed on the very laws establishing colleges of education and the regulatory body; thereby capable of obstructing the smooth running of colleges of education.

COEASU then called on both Federal and State governments to fund education sector maximally, given its strategic necessity as an indispensable need in the development strides of any nation.

Meanwhile, the management of Adeyemi College of Education has suspended the ongoing examinations in the school, urging the students to remain calm until COEASU call off the strike.

Deputy provost of ACE, Olufemi Olajuyigbe told newsmen that the request for weaver to allow the students to finish their exams was turned down by the local chapter of COEASU in order not to incur the sanction of the national body.

Olajiyigbe, however pleaded with the Federal Government to save the education sector from total collapse with the ongoing strike actions by different academic bodies.