From: Ali Abare, Gombe
Lecturers at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe, under the auspices of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), have embarked on an indefinite strike action over-nonpayment of their allowances.
The striking lecturers also called for the removal of the college Provost, Dr. Gimba Abbas as well as the Bursar, Mallam Nuhu Palladan.
The COEASU are seeking for the immediate restoration and payment of outstanding of Peculiar Academic Allowance, PPA and Conference Attendance Allowance, CCA among other issues.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, while delivering the notification letter to embark on an indefinite strike action, secretary of the union, Dr. Abimbola Nurudeen Gbolahan, accused the provost of allowing the bursar over-reach his authority and actively involved in operational management of the institution by executing contracts.
“The Union’s Congress unanimously passed vote of no confidence on the College Bursar. The Union shall no longer work with him as a Financial Adviser of the college. He should be removed from the office immediately, more so he is not qualified to hold the office of the College Bursar,” he stated.
Dr. Gbolahan stressed further that COEASU is recommending for the immediate removal from office of the provost and bursar “due to mismanagement and incompetence in the leadership of the college.”
He revealed that sometimes in 2012, a facts finding panel recommended the removal of the college bursar because of incompetence but the provost refused to adhere to the decision of the investigative panel.
In the notification letter copied to the National Commission of Colleges of Education, NCCE, security agencies and National President COEASU, the union said the strike action was reached at its congress meeting on Tuesday over the endless plight of lecturers on the non-payments of the balance of CCA and PPA of 2016 /2017 session.