TASCE Crisis: Provost appeals to workers to resume work

The Provost, Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State, Dr. Lukmon Adeola Kiadese has appealed to both academic and non-academic staff of the college to return to work for the betterment of the students, staff, and overall survival of the College at large.

Kiadese made this known while addressing newsmen at Omu-Ijebu, against the backdrop of the Coalition of the Tai Solarin College of Education (COTAS), that they would not return to work until their demand is met by the institution authority and the state government.

He said that the government was ready to pay them their backlog of salary arrears and other benefits being demanded for, adding that it was imperative to let peace reign in the institution, as violence, protest and blackmailing of the Provost and government could not solve the problem.

“I can assure you that as soon as the State subvention is remitted into the institution’s coffer and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the institution is realized, their salaries will be paid, as the government is aware of their predicaments, though we owed them salary arrears but not intentional as they assumed,” Kiadese said.

He said no institution whether University, Polytechnic, College of Education or even the state of the federation could be owing its workers and be delighted, as it was against the rules, regulations and code of conduct that was governing the institution, noting that he would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that their backlog of salaries is paid.

He added that the suspension of work been embarked upon by the workers had been having a negative effect on the students and the institution calendar, adding that a course of three years as National Certificate on Education (NCE) could take such a student four to five years as against the will of the students and institutional calendar.
He appealed to the Chairman of the Coalition, Comrade Daniel Aborisade and his members to sheathe their sword and embrace dialogue, noting that violence, thuggery, blackmailing and other harsh reactions could not solve the plight of the institution and its workers.

“Am appealing to COTAS and its leadership to make a peaceful resolution possible, as continued violence and protest could not solve the problem of the institution, because it’s government that is owing them not me (Provost), why now barring me, Bursar and other management from entering into offices?, I really couldn’t understand this act of lawlessness,” Kiadese said.

He said that he and the other senior management of the institution have been barred from offices since three to four months ago, to be resuming at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, in Abeokuta, in order to press for their demands in paying their backlog salaries and its arrears, but vowed to meet up with the union’s demands as soon as possible.