Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has distributed 1,000 mattresses and 500 double-bunk beds to students of the College of Education, Akwanga (COEA), to improve the learning environment.

Senior special assistant (SSA) to the governor on public affairs, Peter Ahemba, said this during a bimonthly press conference on Friday in Lafia.

He said that the distribution is part of the desired attention which the state has continued to give to the education sector since its inception in 2019.

” The government had constructed many blocks of classrooms, renovated many schools, and built perimeter fencing in many schools to protect the schools against encroachment.

“Government has employed many teaching and non-teaching staff and supplied teaching materials in the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education in the state to improve the standard of education,” he said

The SSA further said that the governor has approved N165 million for the award of contracts to renovate the girls’ hostels at Government Science School Lafia and to construct 10 toilet facilities in the school.

He appealed to striking lecturers in the state-owned tertiary institutions to call off the ongoing strike action and pave the way for the continuation of negotiations to ensure a speedy resolution of the impasse.

The Joint Unions of Nasarawa State Tertiary Institutions had, on December 29, declared an indefinite strike action over non implementation of the new national minimum wage for members.

He noted that the strike action was capable of affecting the academic pursuit of students and urged the unions to return to the negotiation table for amicable resolution of the issues.

The SSA further said that the state government will not allow infiltration of bad elements to disturb the long standing peace in the state.

“Efforts would not be spared to sustain the hard-earned relative peace achieved by the present administration since its inception in 2019.

“We condemn in the strongest terms, the recent midnight attack on residents of Akunza in Ashigi community of Lafia by yet-to-be identified gunmen.

“Government has since directed security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and brought to justice without delay,” he added.

He assured residents that the government was working closely with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to address the situation.

“We therefore, call on citizens to assist security agencies with useful information that would lead to the arrest of criminals in all parts of the state,” he said.

Mr Ahemba urged members of the public to report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities to prevent and combat crime. 

(NAN)