Just In: Governor Diri Takes Up Subsidy For Tertiary Institutions

Urges FG To End ASUU Strike

Mohammed O. Taoheed reports,

Senator Douye Diri, the current Governor of Bayelsa State, has approved the increment of subvention to the state-owned tertiary institutions.

Governor Diri stated his administration took the decision to stretch the institutions for efficient service delivery as a government that places high premium on education.

The former Senator made this known at the Government House entrance on Tuesday following he arrival of members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that were part of a nationwide protest in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

As seen in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that his administration did not end the salary of ASUU members in state institutions despite the inglorious strike.

He explained that the gesture was part of his government’s commitment to development of the educational subsector.

Gov. Diru, who described the situation of the Nigerian educational system as unfortunate because of the current crisis between the Federal Government and ASUU, claimed that no country can thrive when education is not given the priority it deserves.

He urged the Federal Government to take immediate and vital moves to put a stop to the five-month-old ASUU strike.

According to him: “Today is not a very happy moment for us in government, particularly your prosperity government. There cannot be prosperity when schools are shut. I join you in solidarity and will convey your message to the federal government.

“No right thinking man, whether in authority or not, will accept what is going on. As a government, we invited ASUU and we had a robust meeting with them. We resolved that we will continue to pay them, and that we have been doing. We cannot allow our educational system to die. It is your place to determine whether or not we will continue on this trajectory.”

Before this, Comrade Bipre Ndiomu, the State NLC Chairman, gave that the workers were at the Government House gate as part of a nationwide protest in solidarity with ASUU.

He said the ASUU strike was at a huge cost and pleaded with the governor to assist labour impress on the Federal Government to do the needful for schools to be reopened.

Comrade Ndiomu said the protest was the first step to ensure that the federal government complied with ASUU’s requests after which labour will embark on a three-day warning strike and an indefinite one if the demands were not met.