Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State received a strong message from the workers in the state which bothered on their welfare and the need for the Governor to do something to meet their needs.
The issue of workers welfare in the state has been a repeated matter as they keep demanding that the state government should pay their salaries which they worked for. In this recent development, the Kogi State council of the Nigeria Labour Congress specifically told Governor Bello that workers in the state are still being owed months of salary arrears.
According to Daily Trust, NLC chairman in the state, Onuh Edoka, stated this yesterday during a meeting the labour leaders held with Governor Bello at the Government House, Lokoja.
The meeting was at the instance of the state government to resolve grey areas on salaries. He told the governor that workers in the state were going through untold hardships due to unpaid salaries and therefore called on him to expedite action in addressing the issue in the interest of workers’ wellbeing.
Governor Bello while giving his response said modalities would be put in place to address the issue. He added that his government had done much with the lean resources to develop the state. He called on the leadership of the organised labour to support his administration for more dividends of democracy.
In another development, students of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, AAUA, and their counterparts from the Ondo State University of Science and Technology, OSUSTECH, Okitipupa, protested against the state government over its decision which the students are uncomfortable with.
The students on Tuesday, converged on Akure, the Ondo State capital, to press home their demand for the reduction of their tuition which they saw as too high and difficult to afford.
According to Daily Post, the students, who barricaded the popular Oba Adesida road in Akure metropolis, partially disrupted commercial activities during the protest. In their agitation, the students demanded that the Governor of the state, Olawarotimi Akeredolu, should either reduce what they termed as outrageous tuition or resign.
It will be recalled that the two institutions had been shut since April following series of protests by students over the “outrageous” fees and the “No fees/No Test-Examination” policy introduced by the institutions’ managements.
During the protest, vehicular movement and commercial activities were paralysed for hours as commuters were forced to trek to their destination. While the blockade of the road was on, placards of various inscriptions were displayed as some of them chanted series of solidarity songs.
Some of the placards read, “Akeredolu Reduce or Resign;” “No Reduction, No Resumption”; Education Must Be Free”; “Say No To N250,000.”
The Students’ Union President, AAUA, Samuel Adesomoju, vowed that protest would continue until Gov. Akeredolu reduces the fees.
According to him, “We are here to make our demand known once again.
“We are telling Gov Akeredolu that our school fees must be reduced now because there will be no resumption if the fees are not reduced. It is our right to have education, but the governor is gradually taking it away from us with his policies. If the governor wants to generate revenue, he should look elsewhere not our schools.”
Adesomoju added that, “We are sending him a clear message today that, we will not leave this road until he reduce the fees and he should not have in mind to open the schools without reduction. We are going to resist it. You can see we are here but not the governor’s office because he (Akeredolu) has said he will flush us out if we dare protest.”
Addressing the protesting students in his palace, the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo commended the students for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner during their demonstration.
The monarch, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Prince Toyin Aladetoyinbo, assured the students that he would communicate their grievances to the governor.
More reactions have trailed the issue of increment in the school fees in the two schools by the state government. It is expected that the Government of Governor Akeredolu considers the demands of the students who are calling for reduction in the fees.
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