Member House of Representatives and
Deputy Governorship Candidate of the All
Progressives Congress in the 2015
governorship election in Kogi State, Hon
James Faleke, has condemned the recent
proscription of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, Kogi State University chapter by
Governor Yahaya Bello.
In a duly signed statement, Faleke said the
proscription had no legal basis, as there is
no provision in KSU Law 1991 that gives the
governor such sweeping powers to
undermine the rights of the lecturers to free
association.
He expressed worries concerning what he
termed the “increasingly dictatorial attitude
of Governor Bello” never before witnessed
in the country, saying it could cause trouble
in the state.
“I was shocked when I heard the news … It
beats my imagination how the … decision
could advance the cause of educational
development in the state,” Faleke said.
He advised that instead of a ban, what the
governor should do was to “continuously
engage the lecturers in an atmosphere of
give-and-take.”
Faleke called for the “immediate reversal” of
the proscription order and a return to
“peaceful engagement with the lecturers in
order to save the state another round of
school shutdown.”
The Kogi State Governor, Yahya Bello had,
earlier in the week, announced the
proscription of ASUU on Kogi State
University campus over the alleged refusal of
the teachers to resume lectures until their
demands for better working environment
are met.
