The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to meet its demands, stating that if the deadline is not met, it will be forced to engage in nationwide industrial action.
The union bemoaned the government’s indifference to the plight of its members, the majority of whom are owners of various educational institutions across the country.
COEASU stated its position in a press statement issued and signed by Mohammed Bello Umar, the union’s Vice President and Northeast zonal coordinator, with copies distributed to journalists in Bauchi.
The union expressed concern about lingering issues in the country’s educational institutions, claiming that the situation requires immediate attention to avoid further deterioration.
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“This is to bring public and government attention to COEASU’s plight in Nigeria in the hopes of finding a solution.” Despite the government’s claim that it has plenty of time to address issues threatening Nigerians’ social, economic, and political lives, nothing has been done.
“To put it mildly, the government’s attitude toward problems involving Nigerian educational institutions is concerning.
“The country’s educational sector is confronted with a slew of issues that have varying effects on staff, students, and, by extension, the general public.”
“If nothing is done about these problems, the next generation will suffer.” The main point of contention is governments’ inaction in renegotiating the COEASU-FGN 2010 Agreement.”
“After five years, the 2010 agreement should have been renegotiated to update the provisions, streamline some grey areas, and address emerging issues of contention in tertiary institutions.” The agreement aims to align with global best practises and foster long-term industrial peace.”
“Since 2015, when the 2010 agreement was due for renegotiation, the government has refused to allow for the start of renegotiation, which will fill many gaps.” Parts of the statement
At the start of the exercise, the union accused the government of making excuses and remaining arrogant.
“Other issues include the non-implementation of the white paper on the 2014 Presidential Needs Assessment across public COEs in Nigeria, inadequate funding of Colleges of Education, and poor implementation of NCCE approved Conditions/scheme of service across State-owned COEs.”
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The rest includes FG’s obstinate stance in favour of IPPIS over the more reliable UTAS.” According to the press release
According to the union, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) is causing more harm than good to tertiary institutions, citing issues such as staff omission in salary payment, unsolicited deductions, salary payment shortages, and unremitted third-party deductions.
They also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s refusal to comply with the Union’s demand for the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), an alternative innovation developed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and tailored to the tertiary education sector.
