FG wants striking COE lecturers return to classroom

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has appealed to striking lecturers of the colleges nationwide to return to work following students’ protest in Abuja.

The strike action by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) which stretched into the third week led to a peaceful protest by student unions yesterday.

Executive Sectary of the Commission, Professor Bappa-Aliyu Muhammadu had, in bid to calm down the protesters, said most of the demands of the lecturers were met and were expected to return to classrooms in next to no time.

He said some of the demands of the lecturers which included payment of peculiar allowances, the issue of migration to Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Scale (CONTISS) 15, outsourcing in which cleaners and security personnel of colleges were obtained by contract, were discussed.

Apart from the ministry, the Accountant General of the Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, the budget office and many other stakeholders came together to resolve some of the issues raised by the lecturers.

Earlier, National President of Nigerian Students (NANS) Comrade Danielson Bamidele Akpan said the protest was organized to show students’ disapproval of the way government was attending to the requests of the striking lecturers.