EKSG Begs EKSU Lecturers With 2 Months Subvention
Ekiti State Government on Monday appealed to the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off their strike action and return to the classrooms.
The deputy governor, Professor kolapo Olusola who made the appeal said the state government has resolved to pay two months subvention to the institution, in effect making two months salary arrears available to this lecturers
Olusola while addressing students of the state tertiary institutions who stormed his office after staging a solidarity rally in support of governor Ayodele Fayose and his governorship ambition, Olusola ahead of July 14 poll.
According to him,” Many of the issues have been resolved, delay in salary payment was caused by bad economy under President Buhari. We are experiencing terrible recession, while the drivers in the economy sector don’t know what they are doing. The governor has agreed to pay two months subventions to ensure two months salary arrears for our lecturers. I am appealing to my colleagues since the government has shifted grounds they should suspend the strike. I believe they are reasonable people who love Ekiti.
“To those who are planning protest against the government, it is illegal and unethical for you to disrupt our state even when you don’t have the consent of the students leaders in Ekiti because the issues NANS of zone D raised have been resolved.
“Bursary payment will soon be made. We had paid all outstanding of the bursary left by the previous government. I thank you for showing solidarity for this government. I want to assure you that the robust partnership and relationship with you will continue. I will remain accessible to you.
“Those who have been rusticated from our higher institutions but are still parading themselves as student’s leaders are the ones being used to cause crisis in the state by the opposition. Follow your leaders that you know.
“If you want continuity what we must do is to get your voters card. Mobilize your colleagues across board to get their voters cards. There are many advantages we would get from getting voters cards, ” he said.
Operating under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) who also disassociated themselves from an alleged plan by the NANS zone D to stage an anti-government protest premised their support for Fayose and his deputy on the outstanding performance and achievement their administration in the state.
The students who marched in their large numbers from the Fajuyi park in Ado Ekiti to the office of the deputy governor singing solidarity songs in support of Fayose and Olusola, insisted that they were not party to zone D NANS plan action over alleged indifference to students’ welfare and the on-going strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Some of the placards they brandished read, ‘Ekiti students support Fayose’, ‘Prof eleka is our choice’, ‘Fayose leads we follow’, ‘we love Fayose’, ‘Ekiti is no 1 in education, ‘ and ‘Continuity is good for Ekiti, we support it,’.
Speaking on behalf of the students, the state chairman of NANS in the state, Comrade Owolabi Temitayo, , denounced the planned protest against the state government by the zone D NANS, saying such development did not receive their blessing.
Owolabi who spoke through the NANSS state treasurer, Com Francis Amos said: “The students body and youths in Ekiti are here in courtesy visit and solidarity for your continuity agenda and also iron out some grey areas and to put in proper perspectives some statement sent by some that we don’t know and who are not part of us.
” We are here to denounce those who have threatened to stage a protest against the state government. We are not part of this.
It should not be a shock to anyone if the Nigerian students in Ekiti show support for governor Fayose and his deputy Prof. Olusola Kolapo Eleka. This is because their administration has performed greatly well in the state. And we can see all their achievement in excellence in education, construction of many dualized roads, flyover bridge and new ultra modern market among others. We condemn every activities from the zonal level which has not followed due process or protocol, they never consulted the NANS here before they made their move’ “he said.
Com. Osin Sodiq Okikiola, President of the Students Union Government, College of Health Science and Technology, Ijero Ekiti, who spoke in the same vein said: “We students and the leaders of students in Ekiti have come here to support the continuity agenda of governor Fayose. He is the architect of modern Ekiti who has never failed us”.