The Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has been tasked to intervene without delay, in the lingering industrial action at the
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, EKSU.
Both the Academic Staff Union of Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities of the institution are currently on strike, thus technically shutting the EKSU.
Making the call in a statement, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Engnr. Kayode Ojo, said it was a big dent on the image of Ekiti, a state that prides itself as the fountain of knowledge, that its premier educational institution had been in the limbo since the past three months.
Lamenting the situation, Ojo said the recurring strikes by academic and non-academic workers of the EKSU, “owing to the failure of the state government to adequately cater to their welfare”, was worrisome to all well-meaning indigenes of Ekiti.
“This is one industrial action too many in our premier institution, and for a state that prides itself as the fountain of knowledge. While it may be true that government is facing certain challenges, it is also clear that the state government has not demonstrated enough compassion and willingness to do its best to assuage the feelings of the hungry lecturers and other workers.
“Governor Fayose should not sit by and watch the state’s university languish in academic quandary, without caring a hoot about the negative effects it will have on nurturing and building up the young minds who are students of the citadel of learning.
“For the umpteenth time, the varsity’s academic calendar is now being forced to get altered; a situation that is not healthy for optimum knowledge acquisition needed to make the university compete favourably with its peers across the globe,” Ojo lamented.
The governorship aspirant also advised the governor to, for the few months left for him to spend in office, dedicate himself to offsetting arrears of workers’ salary, having collected in the last one year, federal grants like the Paris Club Refund and bailout funds, issued to distressed states by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“This is not the time for buck passing or play of politics on the suffering of our hardworking civil servants in Ekiti. The governor cannot pretend to be awarding any new contracts now, and so, he should dedicate himself to offsetting the arrears of workers’ salaries. Leaving the salary debt for the coming administration to inherent will amount to a bad legacy,” Ojo counselled.