COEASU Lauds Abiodun’s Intervention, Seeks Audience with Governor

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The national leadership of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), yesterday commended the Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, for his intervention, on lingering issues and state of affairs at the Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu-Ijebu.

TASCE is the first state-owned tertiary institution established in Ogun State and which had produced many educationists and professionals in other field of human endeavours.

The union, at a news conference, lamented over some lingering operational issues that predated the tenure of the current administration in the state.

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Abeokuta, the National Vice President of COEASU, Mr. Olusegun Lana, said that the union commended of Abiodun because of his progressive intervention to restore the lost glory of the institution.

Lana, however, requested that the union would sit with the governor to discuss directly with him on salient critical matters affecting the school bring to table the win-win ideas that would help the governor to consolidate his administration’s laudable efforts in revamping the college.

He said that TASCE had suffered untold hardship on account of neglect and poor funding under successive administrations.

He noted that the present administration had eased the tension and brought hope to the school with regular payment of staff.

Lana, who is also the South-west Zonal Coordinator, said the union believed in collective bargaining based on constructive engagement, mutual respect and great consideration for smooth-running of the system.

He said: “There is need to fashion out agreeable solution to unfulfilled expectations on festering issues. We have developed certain well- thought -out ideas to put on the table during dialogue with the governor towards addressing the liabilities inherited by his administration.

“We do not have only demands but we also have specific propositions that are sensitive to the financial constraints of government, which could provide a win-win solution to the age-long challenges. We are earnestly calling for audience with the governor to present these.

“The leadership of the union do not believe in table banging unionism on the matter on the ground, but constructive unions activities that will lead to the resolution of the matter for the general benefits of the college and the community.

“The governor had done a lot to restore the lost glory of the institution and it can be better if he can grant the leadership of the union audience where we can also table some of the measures we have highlighted based on our researches on how things can be better including funding.

“We have written several letters and unfortunately none of the letters were honoured. We will still keep the lines open for government to attend to us. We want to believe that our letters might have lost in transit. We are using this avenue to amplify on effort to meet with the governor for dialogue on TASCE issue.”