‘We’re Better Off Under AbdulRazaq's Govt’- JASUTI

Lecturers across Kwara State Colleges of Education have said their welfare has improved under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, adding that they are proud of their decision to support him in 2019.

Speaking during a ‘thank you’ visit to the governor at the weekend, the Joint Academic Staff Union in Tertiary Institutions (JASUTI) hailed the administration for implementing the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS), which had been pending for years.

“Your Excellency, you are a man of your words. We are indeed very happy for (your) approving the CONPCASS that is due for Academic Staff of the Colleges of Education Ilorin, Oro Lafiagi and College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS),” the state Chairman of JASUTI, Bilikis Olasehinde, said during the visit.

“On behalf of the academic staff of tertiary institutions in Kwara State under my leadership, we say thank you sir.

“Your Excellency, we are here to show our appreciation for everything you have done for us. Sir, let me go back memory lane. When you came in as governor of Kwara, there were issues in the state’s tertiary institutions. We had issues of salary arrears and we were on strike. Immediately you came in, we said we should suspend the strike on our own and give the new government the benefit of doubt. We thank God that we did that because within 24 hours we met His Excellency you did what you promised. We appreciate you for that.”

Olasehinde also praised the administration for restoring monthly subventions to the institutions, saying members of JASUTI now receive full salaries every month with the development.

“On the issue of our subvention, His Excellency said going forward, we would be getting our full salaries and that the era of percentages was over. This is a reality today. The subvention is released to our tertiary institutions as and when due,” she said.

The JASUTI leadership was accompanied during the visit by state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Isa Ore; Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman Comrade Babatunde Joseph, Public Service Joint Negotiating Council Chairman Comrade Saliu Suleiman and the state Controller of Labour, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Yusuf Raufu.

At the session were the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Afeez Abolore and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour, Comrade Abdulkareem Onagun.

Governor AbdulRazaq explained how his administration saved the state’s tertiary institutions from collapse for lack of support, saying the previous government neglected the schools.

“The previous government totally neglected the schools; they were not paying salaries, let alone fixing the infrastructure. They did not care about that. The first institution I visited was Kwara State College of Education (Technical) Lafiagi and I was totally disappointed. The state government abandoned its responsibilities over the years,” he said.