Governor
Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has proscribed the activities of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) at the state's owned university (KSU), Anyigba for
failing to call-off its seven month old strike action after government had
reportedly met 90 percent of its demands.
Bello,
who made the proclamation on Wednesday in Lokoja after a decision reached on
the matter by the state executive council, 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.
The
governor said that the lecturers have been paid up to date and that there was
no justification for them to continue their industrial action.
He
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.
"In
effect, the Governing council of the university and the management of KSU and
the management of the ministry of education are hereby directed to immediately
start the process of employing all categories of academic staff," he said.
Bello
also directed all the relevant security agencies in the state to be on the
look-out and live up to their responsibilities to ensure there was no breakdown
of law and order as a result of the ban.
He
explained further that ASUU-KSU's activities related to their strike of about
seven months have obstructed and disrupted provision of essential services in
education, "thereby occasioning psychological trauma and irrevocable loss
to the lawful recipients."
"The
Kogi state government notes with dismay that government with all appeasement
has been unable to bring ASUU to a middle ground.
"That
government by her own conservative estimate and in the interest of
stakeholders, very importantly the students, has met at least 90 percent of
their demands.
"That
ASUU-KSU has refused to recognise industrial relations as work in progress and
had insisted on continuing its strike action indefinitely. The strike has
had negative impact on the students.
"The
Kogi government is forced to believe that ASUU-KSU and her members for no
justifiable cause have deliberately persisted in the breach of their responsibilities
as employees of the Kogi State Government working in an institution providing
essential services, which is education.
"Accordingly,
the Kogi state government hereby makes proclamation and declares all
activities of ASUU in KSU proscribed effective from today July 19, 2017,"
he said.
Meanwhile,
efforts to get the comments of the KSU-ASUU's chairman, Dr Daniel Aina on the
development proved abortive as his line was not going through.
However,
an official of the union who spoke on condition of anonymity because he
was not authorised to do so, said the Union was yet to be communicated on the
said proscription, adding that appropriate action would be taken in due course.
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