Students in Osun Tertiary Institutions Protest on Lecturers’ Strike

Students in Osun have protested over the failure of the Rauf Aregbesola-led government to pay the salaries of striking lecturers of state-owned tertiary institutions.

The protesters, comprising students of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ilesha and Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun as well as leaders of Osun Axis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Joint Campus Council (JCC) grounded activities at the government secretariat in Osogbo over continued industrial action by their teachers.

Reports gathered indicated that the students blocked roads despite police presence and booed the Permanent Secretary of the state ministry of education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, when he tried to address them.

According to Awowole Samuel and Adekitan Lukman, leaders of the Osun NANS JCC, who were quoted in a Daily Trustreport, the continuous closure of their schools is jeopardizing their education.

They blamed Aregbesola for failing to pay the lecturers, adding that his policies are negatively affecting tertiary education in the state.

“The indefinite strike has been on since June 11th 2015,” they said.

“Since then the leadership of the students across the Tertiary Institutions used every peaceful means to appeal to the Osun State Government to find a lasting solution to problem.

“Sadly enough, since the strike commenced till this present moment, the Government of Osun has done nothing reasonable to persuade the lecturers to go back to work and this as demonstrated that the present government in the state has no concrete plan for the education sector.”

Osun is one of the states recently bailed out by the Federal Government.