NEWS
Subsidy: Colleges Of Education Academic Staff To Work Twice Weekly
In a bid to survive the harsh realities imposed by the fuel subsidy removal, academic staff of Colleges of Education in Nigeria have resolved to be attending physically at their duty posts twice every week.
The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) made the disclose on Wednesday, when it also stated that the measure was an interim one, pending when the government addresses the issues caused by the subsidy removal.
National President, COEASU, Dr Sam Olugbeko, in a media statement noted that its members could no longer survive on the current minimum wage hence the union was left with no choice but to direct members to only go to work twice weekly.
The statement reads, “The National leadership of our great Union in its extraordinary meeting held on Tuesday, 18th July 2023 had agreed to direct its members to go to work two days weekly until Federal Government yields to its demand of 200 percent increase in salary amidst the difficulty of members to get to work as a result of hike in the price of petrol.
“The implementation of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government two months ago raised the price of a litre of petrol by 250%.
“This worsened the inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food, and other essential commodities and impoverished the Nigerian people.
“Workers, including staff of Colleges of Education, kept faith with the government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as the government promised to roll out palliative measures including a significant increase in salaries.
“Alas! While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price of petrol rose further to N650 per litre.
“Now, the leadership of the Union has been inundated by members’ complaints that they could no longer go to work as a result of a hike in the price of petrol and the resultant high cost of transportation.
“Against this backdrop, it has become inevitable for the Union to direct members to go to work only two days weekly while an emergency NEC meeting shall be convened to ratify this decision and decide on the specific days of the week members are to go to work.
“The present salary of staff of Colleges of Education was approved in the year 2010 – 13 years ago! This means we have been on the same salary since 2010 while petrol prices rose intermittently from N65/N70 in 2010 to N650 in 2023 (tenfold increase).
“Our salary structure which is subject to renegotiation at 3-year intervals has remained static for 13 years, skipping four due renegotiations.
“It is ludicrous that the government has refused to return to the negotiation table on the welfare package for staff after the Union, prior to the removal of the fuel subsidy, had proposed a 200% increase in salary as against the government’s offer of a ridiculous 35% for Chief Lecturers and 23% for other cadres.”
On the way forward, the union called on the government to immediately seek lasting solutions to prevent crisis in colleges of education.
“We call on the FG to urgently do the needful because the inevitable action of the Union against this hardship will have devastating effects on the students as it will lead to a prolonged academic calendar – a semester of 16 weeks will become 32 weeks or more; while Teaching Practice exercise of 6 months will become 12 months.
“We call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly address the issue of salary adjustment for staff of Colleges of Education. We believe in the capacity of the President to address this problem as he did when he was the Governor of Lagos State where he so generously increased the salaries of staff in the then Lagos State-owned Colleges of Education that they became the highest paid nationwide,” the union said.
In the midst of political tensions, the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara has conducted the screening and confirmation of legal expert Dagogo Israel Iboroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as the Commissioner-designate.
Led by Speaker Victor Oko Jumbo, the faction endorsed Commissioner-nominee Dagogo Iboroma on Monday, within the Chambers of the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt.
Iboroma is poised to assume the role of Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, succeeding Professor Zaccheus Adangor SAN, who resigned upon his redeployment to the Ministry of Special Duties (Governor’s office) two weeks ago.
According to report, Iboroma received an invitation on Sunday, signed by Dr. G.M. Gills-West, the Clerk of the House, summoning him for screening as the Commissioner nominee and potential member of the Rivers State Executive Council.
Recall that last week, Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo, a factional Speaker aligned with Governor Fubara, was elected after Governor Fubara asserted that the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers, loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital, ceased to be Rivers State lawmakers in the eyes of the law following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Observers speculate that Governor Fubara is pushing forward to instigate governance activities, with more Commissioner nominees expected to undergo screening by the Victor Oko Jumbo-led three-man Lawmakers.
However, our correspondent highlights that the invitation for screening is already stirring controversies.
In a Facebook post by lawyer Oraye St Franklyn, he raised various legal issues.
Former Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker, Edison Ehie has revealed that he was offered money to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Ehie, now serving as Chief of Staff to the governor, was previously the majority leader when the first attempt to impeach Fubara took place.
Along with a few others, he opposed the move, leading to a split from the lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Ehie later became the speaker of the faction, which disbanded after President Bola Tinubu intervened and a peace accord was signed between the Wike and Fubara camps.
The peace efforts faltered shortly thereafter, and the two factions resumed their conflict.
Speaking at an event in Ahoada East area of Rivers State over the weekend, Ehie reiterated that he was offered money to oust the governor.
While he didn’t reveal the identities of those behind the offer, he affirmed that he declined it.
He said “They invited me, your son, to impeach the governor and I told them clearly, I was not interested. They gave me all the money that was hidden before, which I rejected. And because I refused, they conspired and declared me wanted.”
Recall that in 2023, the police declared the Chief of Staff wanted in connection with the invasion of the State House of Assembly.
Also, in October 2023, an explosion rocked the state assembly building amidst reports of lawmakers attempting to impeach Fubara.
The lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule reportedly lodged criminal complaints against Ehie with the Rivers State Police Command over the invasion and arson of the Rivers State House of Assembly chambers by unidentified hoodlums.
Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led a raucous protest at the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) headquarters in Abuja against the recent spike in electricity tariffs on Monday.
According to report, protesters, including workers from the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), forcefully entered the NERC complex on Monday.
Workers, supported by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, besieged various electricity distribution company offices in defiance of the Band A tariff increase.
This nationwide agitation, sparked by the Federal Government’s removal of subsidies and tariff adjustments, threatened to paralyze key power sector institutions including NERC’s Abuja headquarters, the Ministry of Power, and state distribution company offices.
Recall that NERC’s had April 3, announced the electricity tariffs hike for Band A customers from N68/kWh to N225 per kilowatt-hour.
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