Travelers between the north and southern part of Nigeria who attempted commuting through the road which goes through Lokoja, capital of Kogi state, went
through frustration on Thursday as protesting students of the Kogi State University, demanded an end to the protracted tug of war between their academic staff and the state government over unpaid wages.
Teachers in the University have been off the job, forcing students to stay at home, for close to three months. The students trooped out in their thousands on Thursday morning. Their peaceful demonstration shut the entire city down.
Lokoja is a major road of transit between northern and southern Nigeria. The city is also the confluence of two of Africa’s longest rivers, the Niger and Benue, hosting the seat of administration for the north-central State of Kogi.
While the students want their striking lecturers and the government to enter into immediate dialogue and end the impasse, the teachers are sticking to their demands that unless the government pays every money outstanding, there would be no work.
The government is not in denial about the huge pile of outstanding debt, but it blames the preceding administration for the bulk of the debt.
While the union for the local lecturers said that the body wants a guarantee that salaries would always be paid within the first seven days of any given month, the government said it does not want to give any nebulous assurance because of the dwindling handout from the central purse in Abuja.
The union president, Daniel Aina said on Monday that the state government must also agree to honour the seven months tax rebate granted by the past administration.
The students said on Thursday that they are the green grass bearing the trampling of the two feuding elephants.