Kogi higher institutions lecturers insist on strike, ready for negotiations

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of tertiary institutions in Kogi State on Sunday, said it would continue with the strike action that commenced in January even as it expressed its readiness for further negotiations to bring the industrial impasse to a peaceful end.

The committee in a communique signed by it’s chairman, Comrade Boluromi Sunday and Secretary, Comrade Awodi Joel, said it was ready for sanity in the education sector of the state.

It however advised the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to be wary of some “Czar” in his government who are overzealous and over ambitious in initiating inhuman policies that had led to negative reactions from the masses.

JAC expressed concern over the claim by government that salaries had been paid to date, saying that its records showed that cleared staff have not been paid to date.

It said, “These people are still our staff and have not been found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction; therefore, they should be paid to date. Selective payment has been observed in the payment of cleared staff.”

On the issue of omissions, JAC claimed that some members were earlier cleared and paid but unfortunately their names got omitted in subsequent screening reports.

“A lot of our staff studying abroad are in limbo because they are neither cleared nor uncleared. Contrary to government’s pronouncement at the stakeholders meeting of 30th April, 2017 their records show that they have neither been cleared nor paid”, read the communiqué.

JAC however advised government to liase with the governing councils with a view to discussing and ameliorating the peculiar needs of the respective institutions in good time, urging the councils to act immediately on the issue of 2015/2016 employment to avoid close down of some faculties and departments. 

The statement further berated government propaganda posture portraying the refund of over deducted tax amount as free rebate, noting that it was money unjustly deducted in excess of tax rate over the years which government agreed to refund; it is not a gift.