The sacked staff of the Edo College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi has shunned the mediation meeting with Edo State Government prior to the treatment Edo Government gives to the sacked staff.
After the Judgement by the Honourable Justice A.A Adewemimo that the defendants should reopen the school, reinstate and pay all salary owed to the staff that were sacked illegally by the Edo State Government.
Although, the process of sacking the staff and the closure of the school has been condemned by the Judges, the final judgement which has ordered the Edo government as well as other defendants to attend to the claimants diligently.
According to the counsel to the Edo State Government while speaking at the mediation centre yesterday held at the Edo State Ministry of Justice, Mr Kadiri said "Edo State Government has transferred some students..." or maybe ... all the students of the school to a school in Oyo state"
Speaking with the Provost of the College, Dr. Obasogie after the unsuccessful mediation meeting, in his statement with the pressmen, Obasogie said "There would never be concrete agreement because the court has given an order, so the order of the court must be respected.
"An appeal court has given an order and the state government should respect the order of the court and the orders of the court is that we should be reinstated with immediate effect, and all the salary from January 2018 should be paid up to date, also the College should be reopened for academic activities to resume.
"All statutory offices, positions occupied by staff of the College remains sacrosant, therefore, government cannot be mediating on the issue that have defendants, what we are saying is that they have the order of the court, the court judgement is before them and what the appeal court said is that before the 20th of September, 2023 the Government should implement the order of the National Industrial Court.
"Our Coming and expectant is that the government has prepared cheque or instruction letter to go and resume, we could not see the traces of what we planned for and that is why we see no reason to continue with the mediation meeting."
In this struggle, report made us known that some of the staff have died as well as our students who were also depressed, committed suicide, this is what caused many young ones especially Edo youths and Students to be compelled and discouraged to Japa, many of them tried to travel out of the country by road to countries abroad as they died in the desert and on the ocean while on their ways looking for greener pastures.
The Staff of the school has hereby called the public to come to their rescue from the hands of the Edo Government, this is choking the poor staff, they are dieing, the Students have become hooligans on the street as their hope to have better future is cut off, they are on the street engaging in provocative activities, therefore, for the sake of the dieing staff and the students, Edo State Government should follow the order before it is too late for them.