Nasarawa tertiary institutions begin indefinite strike

The staff of the three tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State have embarked on an indefinite strike.

The schools are the College of Education Akwanga; Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia and College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Lafia.

The institutions’ workers said they were excluded from the ongoing implementation of promotions and annual increment of workers’ salaries across the state.

They also demanded the immediate removal of the state Head of Civil Service, Mr Nicholas Abari Aboki, over their exclusion from the exercise.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Lafia, the state capital, the Chairman,

Joint Union of Nasarawa State Tertiary Institutions, Dr Ada Benjamin, said the strike would continue until they were captured in the promotion exercise.

Dr Benjamin said the issue of non-promotion and annual increment of workers’ salaries, which had lingered on for over ten years, involved all categories of workers in the state payroll.

He expressed dismay that the workers in the stateowned tertiary institutions were excluded from the implementation.

Responding, the state’s Head of Civil Service said the strike was illegal as the workers did not follow the due process, adding that the workers’ letter containing their complaint was already before the state governor.

He was, however, silent on the call for his removal.