Nassarawa cannot meet demands of striking tertiary institutions -- Commissioner

Workers in Nassarawa State tertiary instituions have been on strike for four weeks.

The Nassarawa State Commissioner for Education, Husseini Abubakar, has said the state government cannot meet the demands of its tertiary institutions’ workers even as their strike enters the fourth week.

The striking workers of the state-owned tertiary institutions are demanding the payment of 18 months arrears of the consolidated polytechnic and colleges of education salary scale.

Mr. Abubakar said that the state was not financially buoyant to meet the demands of the striking workers.

He said the state government had explained its financial position to the executive of the striking workers, adding that the government was expecting a reply after the congress of the unions.

He explained that government was seriously concerned about the plight of the striking institutions which, he said included the state polytechnic in Lafia; College of Agriculture, Lafia; and College of Education, Akwanga.

“The position the state government finds itself has made it difficult to really meet the workers’ demands,’’ he said.

In a swift reaction, the Chairman of the joint unions of the tertiary institutions, Umar Ibrahim, said that there was no going back until the government addressed their demands.

Mr. Bako said that the striking workers were humane enough to wave six months out of the 18 months, adding that in spite of that, the government had not complied with their demands.