Colleges of Education Lecturers Plan Hunger Strike.

Striking Colleges of Education lecturers are planning to embark on
hunger strike to further press on FG to attend to their demands. It is
no longer news that both COEASU and ASUP (Polytechnic lecturers) are
still on strike and have insisted in the past that they will not call
off the strike unless FG provide their demands.
They are also planning to mobilise other stakeholders to join them in
protest marches in Abuja and other parts of the country.
No date, however, has been fixed for the two actions.
The lecturers under the auspices of the Colleges of Education Academic
Staff Union have been on strike since December 18. They are protesting
against, among others dearth of infrastructure in the nation's
colleges of education, poor funding, non-implementation of the 2010
FG-COEASU agreement, poor conditions of service, brain drain and
illegal imposition of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information
System.
But in a statement by the COEASU National President, Mr. Emmanuel
Asagha, and the General Secretary, Mr. Nuhu Ogirima, on Monday, the
union said, "The government's insensitivity and discrimination are
condemnable and it is an outright negation of the much-orchestrated
transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan's
administration."
The union alleged that the government's uncaring attitude might be in
connection with its perception that only the children of the
less-privileged attended colleges of education.
The association said it would no longer hold secret meetings with
government representatives "because several of such meetings have only
revealed unexpected compromised integrity of highly placed persons."
COEASU added, "The National Assembly and the Presidency have not shown
the least concern. Leaders are discussing 2015 general elections and
neglecting core values of the system.
"This worrisome attitude portends grave danger not just to the
Nigerian youth who is being denied skills of survival, but to the
entire nation. This attitude is informed by the fact that students in
colleges of education are sons and daughters of the peasants, the
artisans, the downtrodden, and the less privileged.
"Hence, the inhuman discrimination against them is akin only to South
Africa of yore. The government's attention to the universities where
the children of the rich and powerful are schooling is evidently
different."
The union also called on the government to release N30bn to address
some of the pressing issues facing the sub-sector within 21 days.
It said, "We are determined to resist all attempts by the so called
non-stakeholders of the sector to frustrate the only hope of the
less-privileged."
In a related development, the National President of the Academic Staff
Union of Polytechnics, Mr. Chibuzo Asomugha, and the chairmen of the
union at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa; Yaba College of Technology,
Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro; and Federal Polytechnic, Ede, have alleged
that some cultists were threatening their lives.
One of the text messages read, "Your death at this time will not be
celebrated by your family. Your children will eventually blame you for
dying for an idiotic race. On this note, the federation of Aye
Neo-black men wishes to give you ultimatum of two days to call off the
strike before we will ask for the head of your first child."
Another read, "Heed to our warnings. Federal Government has no respect
for polytechnic education. So, what is your own concern? In your own
interest, call off the strike or you resign. Egege warns."

Source: NGSCholars
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