From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
There were gridlocks in major roads of Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State on Tuesday as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state embarked on protests in support of the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The failure of the federal government to resolve the prolonged strike by university workers had triggered the directive by leadership of the NLC in the country.
Major roads in the state capital were barricaded by the workers who paraded various inscriptions on their placards. The blockage had caused motorists and commuters to be stranded for hours, while economic activities were also paralysed.
The student union also joined in the protest as they alleged “nonchalant attitude and insensitivity of federal government to the plight of the lecturers”.
The protesters also made their way to the House of Assembly complex, but no representative of government showed up to receive or address them, they described the action of government as “disrespectful”.
The NLC Chairman, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde, who described the protest as tips of the ice berg” said
“We solicit the support and intervention of the state government in the matter of the dispute between the federal government and the unions in the tertiary education subsector .
“This dispute has manifested in a strike action for the past five months and has come at a huge cost to the students, the university staff, parents, the government, other stakeholders and the entire country.
“The strike is over the non-observance by government on the agreement it voluntarily entered into with the unions. It has also been about imposition of Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) on the university unions to which they have taken objection with credible reasons.
“We are dismayed by the federal government paralysis and reluctance to take the necessary step that could lead to the peaceful resolution of the issue in dispute and by extension , end the strike.”