…Bello says no going back
From Bimbola Oyesola, Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday, lambasted Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello for banning the activities of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the state’s owned university, Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba.
This is even as the labour centre said the governor has no power under the law to do so, as it is a case of constitutional human rights backed by Nigerian Constitution and the United Nations.
Reacting to the Wednesday’s pronouncement by Governor Bello, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who was on a visit to the National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Sango Ota in Ogun State demanded immediate revocation of the pronouncement else the governor would have to contend with congress.
“He has no power to do so, it is the constitutional human rights, the freedom of association, enshrined in Section 40 of the constitution, which is the grand norm that everybody must respect. He is a governor today because constitution makes it so”, he said.
Wabba said that the university teachers have right to go on strike to protest the poor condition they were subjected to, including backlog of salary owed by the state government.
He lamented that Kogi state is one of the worst state in the federation in relation to workers welfare and delivery of social responsibility to the people.
He said, “We are calling him to order that he has no such power. The right of workers to form a union is recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), one of the top UN body and Nigeria is a signatory to the ILO Convention. He cannot proscribe a union that constitution has recognised.
“He has no moral standing to owe workers for one year and then turn around to proscribe them because they went on strike.”
Wabba said such infringement on workers rights now make it mandatory for workers to rise to the challenge of leadership in the country.
“Workers must ensure that they have their voters card and use it judiciously, we have the numbers. It is your right to vote, to support those doing well and those not doing well, let us vote them out”, he charged.
Meanwhile, the governor has said that he is not going back on his decision to proscription. He said he took the decision in order to save education and the future of Kogi children.
Bello’s administration banned the union after an emergency session of the state executive council in Lokoja on Wednesday.
Speaking with State House correspondents after attending a meeting of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) on Wednesday night, he accused the union of being a tool in the hands of political opponents, noting that all efforts to get the lecturers back to work after months of strike did not yield any positive result.
Asked if he was prepared for what was to come should the national body of ASUU were to tackle his government, he replied. “Well, the most important thing is that Kogi State University belongs to Kogi State and it is the future of our children and of our students that we are concerned about.
“And so long as that is assured and we can protect that, I don’t think we have any apology for taking that decision.”
Bello further explained why his government decided to outrightly proscribe the union, saying “I inherited more or less a comatose institution and in a bid to resuscitate it, we need to carry out certain surgical operation in order to make the educational sector in Kogi State healthy.
“And education is one of our five thematic areas. We did the screening exercise and several other things.
“Now, ASUU came up with several other bodies with certain demands. Some predated my administration and to the best of our judgement as an administration, we were able to meet up to 90 percent of these demands.
It would be recalled that Gov. Bello, on Wednesday in Lokoja said the proscription was a decision by the state executive council in reaction to the union’s failure to call off its seven months old strike after government had reportedly met 90 per cent of its demands.
He had directed all academic staff of the institution to resume normal academic activities immediately or deemed themselves to have resigned from the employment of the state government and the university.
According to the governor, the lecturers had been paid up to date and that there was no justification for them to continue their industrial action.
He had also ordered the management of the institution to take immediate steps to find and engage suitable replacements for all crucial staff vacancies including those that have left or may wish to leave and all those who are deemed to have left the service of Kogi State University pursuant to the proclamation.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello has said that he is not going back on his decision to proscribe the Kogi State University (KSU) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He said he took the decision in order to save education and the future of Kogi children.
Bello’s administration banned the union after an emergency session of the state executive council in Lokoja on Wednesday.
Speaking with State House correspondents after attending a meeting of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) on Wednesday night, he accused the union of being a tool in the hands of political opponents, noting that all efforts to get the lecturers back to work after months of strike action did not yield any positive result.
Asked if he was prepared for what is to come should the national body of ASUU were to tackle his government, he replied. “Well, the most important thing is that Kogi State University belongs to Kogi State and it is the future of our children and of our students that we are concerned about about.
“And so long as that is assured and we can protect that, I don’t think we have any apology for taking that decision.”
Bello further explained why his government decided to outrightly proscribe the union, saying “I inherited more or less a comatose institution and in a bid to resuscitate it, we need to carry out certain surgical operation in order to make educational sector in Kogi State healthy.
“And education is one of our five thematic areas. We did the screening exercise and several other things.
“Now, ASUU came up with several other bodies with certain demands. Some predated my administration and to the best of our judgement as an administration, we were able to meet up to 90 percent of these demands.