COLLEGES OF EDUCATION ACADEMIC STAFF UNION (COEASU), ADEYEMI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CHAPTER ONDO: THE PROTEST STAGED BY NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS AND ITS AFFILIATES
The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo stormed Akure with two buses loaded with members in high morale to joined other affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress who converged on Adegbemile, Akure on Tuesday 26th July, 2022 to stage a joint protest against the insensitive attitude of government at all levels to the educational sector especially, tertiary education.
The buses COEASU, ACE Ondo arrived Akure with had banners on them with various inscriptions such as, “Our children are tired of staying at home”, “Teachers deserve the best”, “No nation is greater than it’s Education”, “Investment in Education, guarantees the future of the Nation”, “No sustainable future without Sustainable Education”, “No Nation progresses beyond the level of its Education sector”.
“No Nation can rise above the quality of its Education, “Answer the University Lecturers Now”, “We say no to Government carefree attitude on Education”, “education is the bedrock of development in a sane society”, “let our children acquire uninterrupted University Education”, “Enough is enough!, Make University Education a national priority”, and “Revamp all levels of Nigerian educational system now!”.
The Chairman of the Chapter, Dr. Adetokunboh Adepoju was called upon to mount the podium and he spoke vehemently against the government lackadaisical none committal attitude towards the development of the educational sector which portends grave danger for the nation now and the future.
It would be recalled that Stakeholders at the College are expecting the take off of the Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo as demanded recently by COEASU.
In an address, Comrade Sunday Adeleye Oluwole, the Ondo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expressed sadness over the deplorable conditions of the Nation’s universities and other tertiary institutions in the country leading to five months strike by ASUU, SSANU, NASU, COEASU and NAAT.
Adeleye wondered why the government continued to pay lip services to the growth of university education in the country, noting that the students in the public schools have been at home for five months sitting down idle while those in leadership positions put on a care-free attitude.
“The reasons why they shut down the universities in the country was because the federal government failed to negotiate with them (lecturers) and their only offence was because they are asking for improvement in the university system”, the Ondo NLC chairman added.
Our reporter who was at the demonstration ground reports that members of other affiliated unions of NLC; National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, (SSANU), and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also joined the protest.