Wrongfully Disengaged Staff of COE, Sagbama Protest Over Government's Insensitivity

Wrongfully Disengaged Staff of COE, Sagbama Protest Over Government’s Insensitivity

Story by Dominic Michael

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As a result of the wrongfully dismissed 165 staff of Isaac Boro College of Education, Sagbama, Bayelsa state, the dismissed staff have staged a peacefull protest at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Yenagoa.

The protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough! Obey court order”, Our Children are out of school”, The chairperson of the verification panel was a Labour leader but not fit to be a Labour leader”, among others.

Speaking to Journalists during the protests, the Chairman of the disengaged staff of the institution, Kokobaikeme Lawrence stated that they have been dismissed from the institution since 2018 by the Administration of former governor Seriake Dickson, stressing that they decided to seek redress in Industrial court in Yenagoa and got a judgement compelling the state government and the management of the institution to reinstate them immediately.

Kokobaikeme Lawrence further noted with dismay that despite the court order, the state government bluntly refused to obey the ruling of the appellant court, adding that that singular action has resulted into the death of most of them while others have suffered critical health conditions like stroke, hypertension and varying degrees of mental disorder because of lack of funds to take care of themselves and thier families.

According to him, a verification panel was set up by the state government headed by Hon. Koku Obiyai, the a current member of the Bayelsa state House of Assembly but the panel has been redundant ever since as nothing meaningful had come out of it, emphasizing that nothing has been done about the ugly plight of the disengaged workers.

He further noted that the head of the panel should not be given any elective or appointive position in the state again, insisting that she lacks the competence to handle sensitive positions.

The Chairman of the disengaged workers also explained that there have been selective payment to some of the disengaged workers especially to one Kakatei Tarila who hails from Sampou, the community of Gov. Douye Diri which according to him, is a pointer to the fact that the state government, the accountant general of the state and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Treasury matters have been insensitive to thier plight.

He therefore called on Gov. Douye Diri to intervene by directing the management of the institution to reinstate them without delay as the Governor is also a product of court order and should therefore obey court judgement.

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