By Ola Ajayi

Thousands of pupils in Oyo State, who are roaming the streets as a result of workers’ strike, may soon resume their studies after principals of secondary schools in the state have apologised to Governor Abiola Ajimobi and others for the June 6 violent protests by their students which sacked the state for a whole day.

Gov Ajimobi

The apology by the Oyo State branch of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) was to pacify the governor who insisted, through his Deputy, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, that workers in the state must tender an apology for some demeaning actions they put up during their protest against new education policy of the state government.

The government, through Alhaji Olalekan Alli, Secretary to the State Government had said it was normal, during democratic dispensations, to protest against a policy the workers find they are not comfortable with, holding a peaceful protest with some placards would have passed their message across to the government.

To him, it is an absurdity for the labour leaders to disrupt carefully-organised government programmes. As if acting on instructions from their teachers, the following day, students from various schools trooped to the streets destroying government property and chanting many unprintable anti-government slogans.

Though, many people empathised with the workers and teachers for backlog of unpaid salaries and its attendant effects on their families, they frowned at the unlawful protest by the students wondering why innocent children should be made sacrificial lambs in a matter that concerns government and workers. They argued further that if the security operatives had not managed the protests effectively, it could have been bloody.

So, succumbing to the insistence by the government that the workers who comprised primary and secondary school teachers, some University of Ibadan lecturers, Labour leaders must apologise, the principals led by President and Secretary, Pastor Ranti Obafumiso and Deacon Matthew Ogunkunle respectively apologized to the state government on behalf of the principals, teachers and students of public secondary schools.

The confederation also dissociated its members from any group or association that might have instigated the students to embark on what they called the ugly incident. It reads, “The ANCOPPS wishes to tender its unreserved apology to the Oyo State Government on behalf of all principals, teachers and students of all public secondary schools in the state on the violent incident that happened on June 6, 2016.

“The incident threatened the peace and security of the state and endangered the lives of the students who participated in the breach of peace and an affront on constituted authority. “ANCOPPS condemn the act and reiterate that it has always been an ambassador and advocate of moral uprightness and good conduct. It therefore dissociates itself from any group or association that might have instigated the students to take part in the ugly incident.”

While pledging its total support and cooperation to the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led administration, the confederation pleaded with the government to accept its apology. When Vanguard called the State Chairman, NLC, Mr. Waheed Olojede, to comment on the action of the school principals, his phone was switched off.

The apology, to some of the workers who pleaded anonymity, is a sign of cowardice and retreat which negates their slogan, ‘no retreat, no surrender’ and also an action that could make the government do even worse in   future. They still relish in the olden day mentality that in a matter like this, it is the government that always kisses the dust first.

Their stance, notwithstanding, the action and maturity displayed by these principals is quite commendable. It will be fair if the state government could come down from its high horse and address the salary issues because it could be said to be the causative agent of the crisis.

It seems the government doesn’t know the devastating effects of non-payment of salaries to these workers. One of the parents broke down in tears during a radio programme saying he could neither feed his family nor pay children’s school fees. He pleaded with the government to settle some of the salary arrears.

The principals, having apologized, Governor Ajimobi should not expect all associations under the umbrella of Nigeria Labour Congress like the Nigeria Union of Teachers, to come and tender apologies. The government should manage its anger in the interest of idle innocent pupils at home.

The government should try as much as possible to downplay the glaring political undertone in the crisis and withdraw some seeming framed up charges against the workers.

Journalists who were in court during the trial of the labour leaders could not believe their ears when the state prosecutor said the workers destroyed property worth a million naira when they disrupted the education stakeholders meeting and that the SSG was badly wounded adding that he was on oxygen in the government’s hospital. In fact, the SSG who was said to be seriously injured, addressed newsmen on that same day looking unruffled but visibly angry.

Also, the angry workers only upturned the tables and plastic chairs at the venue. They did not break a single chair. People feel that if the children of workers and government officials including the governor were in public schools, both of them would not have been flexing muscles the way they are doing.

Now, it appears there are rampant cases of burglary, car theft and violence in the state, some of these idle children may be involved in these vices. Both the government and workers must have learnt one or two lessons from the brouhaha that ruptured the enduring peace in the state.  While government must have learnt that you don’t force all policies down the throat of people especially stakeholders in that sector, workers, on the other hand, have learnt that you don’t take protest too far.

In as much that they reserved the rights to protest any policy they feel are injurious to them, they have known they are not above the law.  Also, the presence of some University lecturers and notable members of Accord Party in the disruption leave much to be desired. Many people look up to them(lecturers) as people of impeccable character that should not be found doing unimaginable things.

Also, workers have to face realities that   the state government has been a bit considerate by not sacking them or cutting their take home pay to half as it is being done in Osun and Ogun States.  The government, until the present economic crunch, had been paying their 13th month salary, increased their car loans, promoted them.

In a battle, you don’t get all what you want; you win some, you lose some. Without mincing words, the state government is broke like its counterparts across the country. So, workers should not expect to receive all their six month salaries at once especially when the government has explained it has no financial muscle to do so.

They should both enter into an agreement on how the remaining salaries will be paid. But, government should not renege on the agreement because it is the government that usually defaults. Until the principle of give and take is employed, the crisis may be far from being over.