…We are not owing Education commissioner insists

By Ozioruva Aliu – Benin City

For the 20th day running, staff and pensioners of College of Education, Ekiadolor yesterday staged a protest at the entrance gate to the Edo Ministry of Education, Iyaro, to demand their 12 months unpaid salaries and pensions.

The workers have been occupying the entrance gate to the government house, last week they blocked the Ugbowo Axis of the Benin–Lagos Highway and they took their protest to the Ministry of Education premises.

But the state government has insisted that it was not owing any worker and this was reiterated by the Commissioner for Education, Jimoh Ejegbai, when he told Vanguard on phone that the College of Education was defunct while the state government was meeting up with the agreement entered into with the workers.

“They entered an agreement of 65 per cent that should be paid on a monthly basis, we have paid up to the month of June this year”, he said.

But speaking to journalists, Chairman, Senior Staff Union, College of Education (SSUCE) Ekiadolor, Comrade Ken Omoruyi, said the protest would continue until their demands were met.

He said; “The state government owes us 12 months salaries and we are here to debunk the rumours making rounds that the staff of the College has been redeployed.

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“We are here to see the Commissioner for Education and ask him when we were redeployed and if we were given redeployment letters.

“There are also rumours that the College of Education has ceased to exist, which is not true because the state government appointed a Provost, Registrar and Bursar for the College.”

Similarly, the chairman of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Comrade Fred Omonuwa, Chairman, College of Education Academy Staff Union and President, Coalition of Unions in the college said the college had not been given adequate subvention in recent times.

He said: “We have been on this protest for a long time and decided to take it to the Ministry of Education. The Commissioner said we are no longer Staff, but no sack letter to that effect, he also said we have been redeployed, but we were not given letters of redeployment”.

Also, Mr Efosa Uzebu, who spoke on behalf of the pensioners of the college, said they were being owed 12 months pensions and gratuity.

Vanguard News Nigeria.