Kogi outlaws ASUU

Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bell

Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello has announced the proscription of the Kogi State Chapter of the Academic staff union of Universities with immediate effect.

The governor announced the proscription today after an emergency state Executive committee meeting.

Alhaji Yahaya Bello said the decision became necessary as all efforts to make members of the institution see reasons for the calling off their over six months old strike action has failed.

He said, “Throughout last week, I undertook a tour of the tertiary institutions in Kogi State with a view to having first-hand information about the problems in the schools, but while others have since resumed, ASUU-KSU have refused to call off their strike action.

According to him, “as a government, we have fulfilled over 90 percent of their demand and have even gone a step further to pay all outstanding salaries of both cleared and uncleared staff including those that have committed one crime or the other”.

This he said was in spite of the fact their decision to shut down the institution had resulted in increase in violent crimes on Ayingba and its environs, adding that “as a responsible government who has high regard for education as the pillar of the future of the state, we cannot afford to fold our hands and watch the future of our youths mortgaged”.

The governor also ordered the striking lecturers back to work failure of which they should consider themselves out of job in the institution.

He directed the governing council of the University to ensure the security of lives and property and also ensure that no staff willing to work suffers any form of harassment or intimidation.