By Ola Ajayi

IBADAN—THE governorship candidate of the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2007 election in Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has advised Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala to jettison the military disposition he is using on the striking lecturers and workers of the Polytechnic Ibadan.

Senator Ajimobi who spoke at the third annual Rammadan Lecture in Ibadan weekend, said the governor should learn from history that using military style to solve educational problem would only aggravate the matter.

He urged Alao-Akala not to use intimidation and ego to jeopardize the future of thousands of students who are currently staying at home as result of the strike that has entered 11 weeks. He added that if the government values education, it will not handle the issue the way it is doing.

While sympathising with the lecturers on their ordeal, he said, “the lecturers are fighting against the excessive taxation,  they want you to reduce it. The next thing you should do is to call them to a negotiation table and discuss. But if you are now governing by intimidation, behaving as if you are in the military, it will not work”.

Instead of flexing muscles with the defenceless lecturers who take peanuts as salaries, the government should have shown understanding with them and granted their demand.

His words,”the poor lecturers are not taking home up to N100, 000 a month and you tell them to pay exhorbitant amount as tax. Let them fear God. Government should empathise with the lecturers and be reasonable with them.”