Candidate Writing NECO Applied To Nasarawa State Over Worker Strike.

Student  writing  National Examination Council (NECO) has appealed to traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Nasarawa State to intervene in the labour/government feud to end the protracted workers strike in the state.

The candidates made the call in separate interviews with the Newsmen on Wednesday in Keffi, Nasarawa State. They said that if government allowed the strike to continue, it would affect their chances of coming out with good results.

The candidates also said that the strike would not only affect the NECO examination but it has already affected the education sector negatively, hence the need for the traditional rulers and other stakeholders to intervene in the interest of children. Mr Musa Umar, a NECO candidate, said the strike was a setback for the education sector in the state. “I am a science student and let me be very sincere with you, this ongoing strike if care is not taken will affect our chance of coming out with good results at the end of the day because syllabus have not be covered by our teachers as a result of the strike and we don’t have to blame the teachers.

“The on-going workers’ strike has affected our education negatively as academic activities have stopped in secondary schools and the strike is unfortunate; no student will be comfortable staying at home and going to be writing examination comfortably. “It is in view of this that I want to use this medium to appeal to our royal fathers and other stakeholders to intervene in the labour/government feud so as to end the ongoing workers strike in the state in the interest of the education sector and for the socio-economic development of the state. “Because the peace and development of the state lies in their hands as they are custodians of our culture and peace,” he said. Another NECO candidate, Ms Veronica Usman, also decried the strike and urged the state’s traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders to intervene so as to end the ongoing workers strike. “Why is it that traditional rulers, state House of Assembly members and other stakeholders are keeping quiet on the issue, is it because their children are in private schools or what?” she questioned. “That is why I want to use this medium to appeal to them to intervene on the ongoing strike in order to end it in our interest and for the overall development of the state,” she said. NAN recalls that on May 26, Mr Abdullahi Adeka, who was removed as the Chairman of the state organised labor union, announced the suspension of the strike. Adeka told members that the state government was meeting the demands of the workers. But on May 27, Mr Bala Umar, who replaced Adeka, urged workers not to resume work, insisting that government had yet to meet their demands. Again on May 29, Gov. Tanko Al-Makura told stakeholders in the state that to the best of his knowledge, the workers were not on strike. Al-Makura threatened that workers, who refused to resume work, would be doing so at their own risk. Some teachers, who said they preferred to remain anonymous, accused the state government of paying lip-service to the workers’ demands. According to them, no country can achieve meaningful development without a sound educational base. They, therefore, urged the state government to attend to it.

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