The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, has commended the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for listening to the voice reasoning by suspending the the policy that requires tertiary institutions in the country to remit 40 percent of internally generated revenue to the Federal Treasury.
The commendation was contained in a Statement released by the National President of COEASU Dr. Smart Olugbeko.
The statement noted that the Union has found a government that has disposition towards Unionism and alternative dispute resolution via constructive engagement.
“We must acknowledge the sense of good reason, listening disposition, democratic ethos and responsible leadership shown by Mr. President in suspending the policy without allowing the situation to degenerate into unnecessary faceoff between labour and Government.
“it seems to us that our Union has eventually found a Government that is compatible in disposition to our Union towards alternative dispute resolution approach through constructive engagement, social dialogue and proactive bargaining characterized by mutual respect and pliability to superior logic,” observed the statement.
The Union, however called on the president to address the issue of funding in the Colleges of education and other tertiary institutions in the country.
“Nonetheless, we urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to go a step further by deploying this promising disposition to urgently address the challenges of funding in the College of Education system and other tiers of the tertiary education sector altogether,” urged the statement.
The group equally called for other festering issues such as the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), which undermines a lot of procedures in tertiary institutions to be looked into.
“The centralization of payroll administration through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System , IPPIS, undermines the statutory functions of the Governing Councils, breaches the establishment integrity of the tertiary education sector in general and the College of Education system in particular.
“It has eroded the power and authority of Provosts and Governing Councils to employ as the office of the Head of Service determines who and when to employ.
“We have thousands of cases of short-payment, outright non-payment, unlawful delay and/or withholding of third party deductions, just to mention but few. We urge President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to revisit the issue of IPPIS in the interest justice and industrial harmony,” noted the statement.
According to the statement other issues Mr. President needs to address include urgent disbursement of of bursary and grants to students and the unlawful sack of Governing Councils in violation of their statutory tenure of three years and contravention of the FCE Establishment Act.
” Of equal concern to our Union is the need to conclude the long overdue renegotiation of COEASU-FG 2010 agreement; upward review of the monthly running grant being given to the Managements of Colleges of Education and timely release of the fund.
“Resolution of the issue of outsourced services particularly security and cleaning; and the implementation, without further delay, of the special bursary and grant to education students in Universities and Colleges of Education,” concluded the statement.
COEASU is the umbrella body for all Academic staff of Colleges of education Nigeria.
Olusola Akintonde
