The government’s decision to halt all union operations at all state-owned institutions of higher learning, according to Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki, was made to safeguard the interests of students in the state rather than to engage in witch hunts.
The government ordered all cadre of staff to report to their job postings right away in response to the protest by students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUUprotracted )’s strike.
The state government has been up and doing in meeting her financial obligations to the school and its employees, according to Obaseki, who was speaking to veteran labor leaders who were on a courtesy visit at the Government House in Benin City.
Obaseki claimed that the workers’ decision to stop working was not justifiable.
He pointed out that their actions are unfair to the students, whose peers are enjoying uninterrupted classes at private and other state-owned colleges across the nation.
We don’t politicize education, Obaseki stated. We won’t compromise on education because the high-quality education we received has made us who we are today.
Governmentally, we are committed to enhancing education because the AAU employees will benefit in the long run from the reforms we are doing.
“Our students begged us in tears to let them return to school, resume their classes, and graduate. We asked the lecturers if we may return to class, but they refused. What are you asking of us?
“How is that our concern in Edo State if ASUU has a problem with the federal government? This is a deliberate attempt to give private universities a competitive edge over institutions that are run by the government.
Why should we suffer in Edo if ASUU has a problem with the federal government, he questioned.
“We have done so much in AAU and have started a number of reforms, but we still wonder why a school like AAU, which is about 45 years old and has more than 30,000 students, can’t pay their bills,” Obaseki continued.
We are willing to talk, but please don’t blame us for other people’s difficulties because we are a small state trying to develop contemporary institutions.
We also expect everyone to work together and not oppose us so that we can give your child a high-quality education. These union leaders themselves have children living abroad.
The governor also urged the former labor leaders to take action by urging the union to change their stance in light of the state government’s willingness to discuss and settle any outstanding issues.
He said, “Work with us and let’s end this conflict. We are prepared to speak, but please go and make a case to them.
They are not being fought by the state government. The educational system needs to be improved, so it’s time to cross the table and make some concessions. We are not the federal government, so kindly appeal to them.
They ought to travel to Abuja and fight the federal government there. We want to effectively manage our resources in Edo in order to best serve the needs of the students.
Since his administration supports labor, Obaseki added, “there hasn’t been a big labor issue in the state in almost seven years.”
Comrade Olu Aderibigbe, the group’s leader and a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the long-gone Bendel State, praised the governor for raising the minimum salary from N30,000 to N40,000.
“No labor employer in Africa will boost salaries without negotiation, but you have accomplished this,” he remarked.
Thank you for constructing the John Odigie-Oyegun Training Academy, the Edo State Civil Servant Secretariat, and Labor House.
The former labor head said, “You are one of the most labor-friendly governors in the nation.”