Education
COEASU Accuses FG Of Insensitivity, Demands Release Of N15bn Revitalisation Fund
Lecturers in colleges of education across the country under the aegis of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) have accused the Federal Government of insensitivity, saying successive governments over the years had neglected issues affecting the union and schools despite many entreaties.
National Vice President and Southwest Zonal Coordinator (COEASU), Olusegun Lana, said the Federal Government has not been fair to colleges of education.
The union listed some of its grievances to include failure of the Federal Government to reconstitute its renegotiation team for COEASU-FGN 2010 Agreement; non-release of N15billion revitalisation fund pledged by government and insistence on Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) against University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which the union described as a more reliable alternative payment system.
The union urged stakeholders to prevail on the government to do the needful to save colleges of education from incessant strikes.
He said: “While the long-anticipated renegotiation of COEASU-FGN 2010 agreement holds enormous promise for mutual resolution of several challenges bedevilling the COE sub-sector, the FG has failed to accord the exercise deserved priority. Ridiculously, government has refused to constitute its own renegotiation team after acknowledging receipt of our union’s team list on her own request for over two months now.
“Government has refused to fulfil its pledge of N15billion revitalisation fund. Apart from being a far cry from N478billion proposed at the 2014 Presidential Needs Assessment across public COEs, the delay in its release has made nonsense of the value due to inflation.
“Poor funding of colleges of education and poor conditions across state-owned COEs, in spite of our agitations and government’s persistent promise of redress, both Federal and State COEs remain poorly funded.
“Reign of impunity, statutory breach and administrative aberration persists our members, especially in state COEs, continue to suffer untold hardships through non-payment of salary and salary arrears, refusal to implement statutory salary structure in full, extraneous promotion criteria, idiosyncratic policies, non/improper domestication of 65-year retirement age for workers in the COE system; multiple promotions without financial effects and repression of union activities, among others.
“Many colleges find it difficult to run smoothly due to non-release of running costs by government. State governments have abdicated their responsibility as proprietors to TETFund, as the only projects you see in the colleges are TETFund projects.”
Lana lamented that IPPIS was causing more havoc to tertiary institutions. He noted that up till the end of March 2022, about 1,219 lecturers in COEs were experiencing problems with the payment platform.
“COEASU has demanded the adoption of UTAS, an alternative innovation of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). UTAS has been found superior to IPPIS as it has the capacity to address our payroll security concerns and peculiarities of tertiary institutions. It is therefore ludicrous that FG has remained adamant on retaining IPPIS despite its injurious effects.
He said after extensive deliberations on the outcome of referendum conducted across chapters of the union, NEC resolved to issue government a 21-day ultimatum to do the needful within the period.
Mobilisation Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, Michael Lenin, said:
“The blame for these strike actions that have grounded tertiary education must be placed at the doorstep of the government. It is quite unprecedented that all the major unions in the tertiary education sector will be on strike; however, it showed the level of damage the negligence of successive governments have done to the sector through chronic under-funding.
“This is the time for Nigerian students to rise and demand that all the demands of striking workers must be met and the sector must be repositioned from the current horrific state it is in.”
But the Federal Government has said that it is in consultation with COEASU and has held series of meetings with the union with a view to resolving the issues.
The 11th Global President of the Rivers state University Alumni Association (RSUAA), Dr. Marry- Ann Perekebina has praised the Obarijima Waite’s led Postgraduate Students Association(PGA), describing his tenure as ” visionary, transparent and worthy of emulation.
Dr. Perekebina , who spoke with journalists at the sideline of the commissioning of projects embarked by Obarijima Waite’s administration in Port Harcourt, eulogises him for leading a purposeful administration – characterised with team work, love and result.
She maintained, that Obarijima Waite’s have led a purposeful administration that touches on cole values expected of any leader,adding that he has embarked on several projects that will have direct bearing in the lives of PGA students who will make use of the facilities.
“I think it’s worthy of emulation and recognition and he deserves all the accolades. He is a transformational leader who believes in carrying everyone along.” she said.
Also speaking at the sideline, a Postgraduate student of Law and Diplomacy, Edward Olaka, equally lauded the President of PGA, Obarijima Waite, for his visionary and outstanding leadership style, and describing him as “a Square peg in a Square hole”
According to him, the performance of the incumbent President and his team will throw a huge challenge to his successor’s, stressing that their administration will be used as a yardstick to measure whoever that would be coming after them, describing his performance as a commitment and testimony to hard-work built on the fear God.
” This is the handiwork of God, because it is said that when the righteous rules, the people rejoice.”
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is set to establish a Driving Training Centre at the University of Port Harcourt, to be domiciled at the Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, NEMA House.
A team from the FRSC National Headquarters visited the University on Friday, September 12, 2025, to inspect proposed facilities in line with the Driving School Standardization Programme (DSSP) mandatory requirements.
Speaking at the end of the inspection, Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, represented by the Head of Driving School, Mr. Sunday Attah, expressed satisfaction with the standard of facilities available at the institution. He commended the University for its readiness to host the pilot scheme, noting that the Centre will be replicated in other parts of the country in due course.
Earlier, during a courtesy visit to the University Management, the Corps Marshal explained that UniPort was selected to host the pilot project because of its strategic importance to the nation.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Owunari Abraham Georgewill, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Chukwudi Onyeaso, welcomed the initiative and assured that the University remains open to partnerships that will promote academic excellence and national development.
A scholar and the 119 Inaugural lecturer at the Rivers state University, Prof.Chukwu Sancho Nwobuisi has called on political leaders across the world and Nigeria in particular to be transparent, accountable and lead with the fear of God, bearing in mind that when we depart the earth, we shall take home nothing, except the spirit who shall return back to the maker to give account of how we lived our lives.
Speaking to Journalists shortly after delivering his inaugural lecture on Wednesday in port Harcourt with the topic: ” War and The Dynamics of Ehianomics Economy The Nigerian Experience Who Are The Losers”, called on political leaders and those at the position of trust to think outside the box if they truly want the Nigeria to be great again.
He explained that the topic of the lecture basically is about social ills and how to correct the false narrative affects the system, while maintaining that the system has worsen to the point that the future of our younger generation now in dire danger, due to unemployment ,poor infrastructure,poor healthcare and everyone looking for a means to see ends meet.
The Frontline scholar,regretted that agriculture that used to be the economy main stay of the country is now downgraded due to over dependent on oil revenue, hence the unfortunate social and political crisis found daily in our communities.
” The study looks at the effect, influence and what affects the economy of the nation and how our mindset can change from over dependent on oil”
Prof. Nwobuisi, who didn’t mince words about corruption, maintained that corruption remains a serious challenge that the government needs to mitigate by the institutions saddled with the responsibility to pull the nation out of the menace.
” The way forward is that the nation’s anti-graft agencies must be strengthen to look around us especially on the invasion by the so called Yahoo boys.” Prof. Chukwu said.
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