The Taraba State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), on Tuesday, called on the federal government to address the prolonged ASUU strike.
They made their stand known in Jalingo, the state capital during a solidarity protest with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU).
The various unions and associations under the NLC converged at the NLC secretariat from where they proceeded to the government house, making intermittent stops on the way.
Armed with placards of different inscriptions, they urged the federal government to as a matter of urgency address ASUU’s demands to open the doors of public universities.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Peter Jediel Dobiala during the protest, stressed the readiness of the labour union not to go to bed until the government deems it fit to wade in.
Adding that “we will continue to protest if the government does not intervene.
”The reason why Nigerians are suffering, according to him “is because the Nigerian workers don’t want to tell the politicians the truth because of their pockets.”
He blasted the politicians for sending their children abroad to school while leaving behind children of the poor.
On his part, the state Chairman of the TUC, Sule Abasu, disclosed that hoodlums had attempted to hijack the protest but were not successful because the participants were organised.
He demanded the federal government through the state government open the universities with “immediate effect,” saying “our children have become a problem to us”.
Also speaking, Chairman ASUU, Taraba State University, Dr Samuel Shikaa, said the struggle was not only for ASUU and that people have more awareness now of the problem.
On hand to receive the protesters at the Government House was the Commissioner for Special Duties, Pininga Binga. He said the governor was fully aware of their presence and that he was in the same boat with them.
Binga said Governor Ishaku was in consultation with other governors who run similar universities and was working out modalities to resolve the problem.
Our children have become problems to us, open universities now -Taraba labour leaders
