Nigeria, July 20, 2016 – The Bayelsa State Government has called on students of the Niger Delta University (NDU) to blame their lecturers for the continuous shut down of the institution, government has done its part to end the strike.
The advice came following reports that some students of the university were planning to take to the streets this today to protest the delay in reopening their school.
A statement issued on Tuesday evening by the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jonathan Obuebite, called on NDU students not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to breach the existing peace in the state.
He explained that, after series of meetings with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), the government released their January salaries and was also willing to pay them the 50% salaries of April, May and June.
This is to bring them be at par with other Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
He said instead, they rather suggested on discussing the proposal in their general congress before taking a position.
Obuebite explained that after a meeting which held precisely on Thursday, June 23, 2016, ASUU was to get back to the government by Wednesday of the following week on the resolution of congress, with a promise to suspend the strike, but never did.
He said to the surprise of the government, ASUU rather presented a fresh demand two weeks later, requesting the government to pay them their full salaries from February to June, noting that, it was unrealistic and unfortunate, while describing it as a setback to the government’s efforts at gradually clearing their outstanding salaries.
The government warned genuine students of NDU not to be part of the miscreants, who are waiting to be used as students for the protest to breach the peace in the state, stressing that, the security agents have been put on red alert and anyone that, runs foul of the law will be arrested and prosecuted.
Obuebite also called on parents to caution their children and wards against being used for the planned action.
According to him, dialogue between both parties have been yielding results, a situation that prompted ASUU to agree to call off the strike, as contained in a previous joint statement, but wondered why they have been foot dragging. He said it was becoming highly suspicious, while equally restating the government’s total commitment to the welfare of students and workers of the state.
