Warri – The Nigrian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents Chapel has commiserated with the Delta State Chapters of both the National Union of Teachers (NUT) , and the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) over the death of four of their members .
While expressing sadnes over the untimely and avoidable death of the four of their members , who lost their lives in a ghastly motor accident, the NUJ tasks Gov. Okowa to wake up to his responsibility especially in the area of prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
In a statement issued and signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the union, Akpokona Omafuaire and Joe Ogbodu respectively, the Union said, it receives with rude shock the tragic death of the three Secondary School Principals and one Vice Principal who lost their lives in a ghastly motor accident on Friday on their way to honour invitation by Honourable Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Chinedu Ebie in Kwale geared toward resolving the industrial action by the NUT.
While expressing deep condolences to the teachers’ families, NUT, ANCOPSS, and students of schools where the deceased had served before their untimely death, the Union make bold to say that the state government was callous in handling the issues of payment of salaries and arrears of the workers which eventually led to this avoidable death.
The statement added that, ” if the state government had not foreclosed the immediate negotiation with the protesting teachers, the death would possibly not have occurred painfully the way it did”.
“The Union therefore called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who incidentally is the son of a retired principal ,to wake up to its responsibility and stop passing buck when the responsibility to take care of citizens’ welfare actually stopped at the state Governor’s deck.”
“The threat position taken by the government was an awkward and outdated manner of resolving labour dispute by a government which purport to give prosperity to all Deltans.”
