Abia, Edo owe lecturers 31- month salary, says COEASU

By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

THE National President of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Dr. Smart Odunayo Olugbeko, said yesterday that Abia State Government owes lecturers at the state-owned college of education 31-month salary as at July 2021.

He said the workers of Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu have not received salary for 31 months, while those of the defunct Edo State College of Education, Ekiadolor are being owed salary of many months.

The COEASU national president said over 500 workers of the Edo State College of Education, Ekiadolor are yet to be properly deployed in the three campuses of the state-owned colleges of education.

Describing the development as unacceptable, Olugbeko said his administration will explore measures to ensure that states owing members of the union pay them, to mitigate the suffering of the lecturers.

He spoke while delivering his inaugural speech at the National Delegates’ Congress of the union in Abuja.

The COEASU national president lamented the delay in the conclusion of re-negotiation of the FGN-COEASU 2010 Agreement.

He said: “The flagrant impunity and open display of executive insensitivity against our members by some state governments is a sheer lack of respect for human dignity.

“The unsavoury report revealing some state government’s refusal to pay salaries of workers for months/years is regrettable and appalling.

“Some state governments have abdicated their primary responsibility of funding their colleges to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

“For instance, as at end of July, workers of Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu have not received their salary for 31 months, while officials of the defunct Edo State College of Education, Ekiadolor are being owed salary of many months and over 500 workers of the institution are yet to be properly deployed in the three campuses of the state-owned colleges of education.

“We shall hit the ground running with appeals for expeditious attention by the governors of the states where these colleges of education are situated towards mitigating the sufferings of our members, by addressing these lingering challenges with dispatch.”