Time for a mass fightback against
attack on democratic rights of workers and students by the Amosun regime
PRESS STATEMENT
We of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Ogun State Chapter, condemn
in the strongest terms the sack of six officials of Ogun State Ministry of
Education, Science and Technology, including a secondary school teacher by the
Ibikunle Amosun-led Ogun State Government over an alleged offensive examination
question in the English Language paper of the state’s Unified Secondary School
Examination.
According to press reports, the list of those sacked includes two Grade
Level 17 officers, Mrs. Folashade Oresegun, who was Director, Education Support
Services, Mr. Rotimi Odunsi, who was Director, Curriculum Development and
Evaluation and a Grade Level 16 Officer, Mr. Majekodunmi Oluwole. Reportedly,
the list also includes a Grade 10 Level Officer, Mr. E.O Asegbe, a Grade Level
8 Officer, Taylor Damilola and an English Language teacher in Mayflower
Secondary School, Ikenne, Mr.Joel Adegbenro. We also confirmed that the sacking
of both Oresegun and Odunsi has been converted to compulsory retirement while
the four others were summarily dismissed.
We consider the grounds upon which their appointments were terminated
as highly vexatious, unscrupulous and unacceptable. We view the argument that a
passage on collapse of education culled from a book used for examination of
secondary school students is offensive and indicting of the state government as
completely ridiculous.
We hold that the reality that the state government is running away from
is its conscious neglect of education in the state and the government is merely
running from its shadows. We submit that the so-called “offensive” and
“inciting” passage only echoes the position of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC)
in Ogun State that the Amosun regime has completely abandoned the education
sector in the state. The Amosun regime has refused and neglected to release
subventions to tertiary institutions for more than a year and the primary and
post-primary institutions are in a state of disrepair.
We also submit that the sacking of the workers is the height of infamy
by the Ibikunle Amosun regime which has continuously unleashed attacks on the
democratic rights of students and workers. As we write, workers’ unions at the Tai
Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu are still under proscription by the state
government. This is aside the ban on students’ unions in such institutions as
Ogun State College of Information Technology, Igbesa.
We hold that it is high time that a mass fight-back against the attacks
on democratic rights by the Amosun regime was built. We call on the two labour centres
in the state, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)
as well as the education workers’ unions, ASUU, SSANU, , COEASU, NUT, SSUCOEN,
ASUP, SSANIP, etc. with other trade
unions among others to resist these attacks. We also call on Students’ unions,
the Joint Campuses’ Committee in Ogun State and the Zonal leadership of the
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to lend their voice of
opposition against these attacks and mobilize for mass actions against them. An injury to one is an injury to all.
We call for a wider mobilization of students, workers and the entire
working masses in Ogun State to demand the following:
1.
Immediate recall of the OGUN
SIX! No to victimization of workers!
2.
Immediate end to
proscription of staff unions in Tai Solarin College of Education, OmuIjebu! End
attacks on workers’ rights!
3.
Immediate release of two
years’ subventions to tertiary education institutions in Ogun State! For proper
funding of the education sector and democratic control of the resources in the
state!
4.
End to attacks on democratic
rights of workers and students! Time for MASS ACTION AGAINST ATTACKS ON
DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS IN OGUN STATE! Ogun State NLC and TUC with NANS Zone D/ Ogun
JCC with trade and students’ unions to NAME A DAY OF MASS PROTEST!
Dare to struggle! Dare to
win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!
Ayo Ademiluyi
Acting State Coordinator
08148252959
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