Colleges Of Education Lecturers Suspend Strike

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has suspended its ongoing strike for 60 days to see if its demands would be met by the federal government.

Smart Olugbeko, COEASU president, and general secretary, Ahmed Bazza, announced the suspension in a statement on Friday.

The union said the suspension followed “enormous progress” made at the ongoing renegotiation with Mr Buhari’s regime.

Mr Olugbeko said the decision to suspend the strike was taken at the end of its national executive council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, to reassess the status of issues leading to the three-week rollover of the national strike.

According to him, as evident in the progress made at the ongoing renegotiation and the appreciable level of progress made towards the amendment of the Colleges of Education Establishment Act, which is paramount for the development of the COE system.

“NEC resolved that the nationwide strike that started on June 10, be suspended for a cool-off-period of 60 days. This is to give the government the opportunity to perfect the progress made so far into tangible achievements that are acceptable to the union,” said the COEASU president. “After which the NEC shall reconvene to re-assess the status of the issues and decide the way forward.”

Mr Olugbeko also said that the union urged the regime to address the worsening insecurity in Nigeria and “proactively” beef up security “on all campuses.”

He added, “As the system is being reopened for teaching and learning, and across the nation in general.”

The union president, therefore, commended the governments of Imo, Kwara, Osun, and Oyo in resolving the lingering issues in their respective colleges of education.