Strike: Academic activities suspended at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education

Academic activities remained suspended on Wednesday at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin, Lagos, following a strike by the institution’s chapter of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
COEASU embarked on strike on December 3.
A few students were seen discussing within the college as lecture rooms were empty and only non-academic officers were seen at their duty posts.
Some of the union’s demands include: immediate commencement of payment of 53.3 per cent allowances and arrears; N350 million naira bailout; epileptic distribution of electricity; and Internally Generated Revenue programme.
Others are: payment of all outstanding honoraria; inexplicable promotion criteria; and management’s inability to establish college and school-based bookshop.
In his comment, Mr Ige Ajayi, the Union’s Chairman, said that after their congress meeting, union members directed that the strike should continue until Lagos State Government and the management of the college met their demands.
Ajayi said they would suspend their strike when the state government shows more commitment, saying the transport allowances had not been paid since 2011.
“Since then, we have displayed a high level of uncommon perseverance and tolerance. Government should just do the needful.
“Apart from that, it is not about money; we also want a better teaching, learning environment because currently the environment is not conducive, especially lecture halls.
“Lecture halls are always dark in the morning and night; and hot in the afternoon. The college management should know that we are all here for the students to learn in a conducive environment,” he said.
Ajayi said that AOCOED was one of the oldest colleges in the state and Nigeria; yet we had no bookshop in the college.
“We told the management to either provide or give us an empty building and see what we will do in 30 working days.
“Internally Generated Revenue programmes have been killed deliberately by the management because they are anticipating to change the college to a university.
“Government has been trying to resolve these issues, especially the ones that concern them,” he said.
Ajayi said that government promised to release N350 million bailout fund but management told us that they would not pay our arrears.
“We keep wondering if management is on the same page with the Lagos State Government.
“There is nothing we executive members of the union can do concerning the strike but we are to follow the congress’ directive,” he said.
Reacting, the College Registrar, Mr Sheu Muhideen, said that the unions could never be pleased because their agitations were always unpredictable.
Muhideen said that recently both the union and the management were with the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, in order to resolve all the issues.
“We were assured that the governor had approved N350 million bailout and that the college’s subvention has been increased from N200 to N250 million.
“It is unfortunate that during the week, N210 million was sent instead of N250 million naira. There is nothing we can do but go back to the government.
“We have presented the situation to the government. As far as the management is concerned, we have been trying to resolve the situation with our little resources,” he said.
Muhideen said that the management and COEASU would be meeting next week in order to negotiate and move forward.
“Concerning the bookshop, we have put machinery in place and by Jan. 2020, the vendor appointed on Public Private Partnership will commence the running of the bookshop,” he said.
Miss Abisola Ogunsina, a 200 level Business Education student, urged the union to suspend the strike so that all the students could continue with their studies.
Ogunsina appealed to the state government and management of the college to please settle COEASU so that they could focus on teaching the students.