The executive Council of SYNES-UB met today 29 November 2016 to review

1. The recent negotiations with the Prime Minister and Head of Government which held in Bamenda at Ayaba Hotel from 25-26 November 2016;
2. The violent quelling of a peaceful students’ demonstration and
3. The meeting between SYNES-UB Executives and CPDM parliamentarians of the SW Region.

NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PM
The executive noted that the General assembly has to be convened before the strike action is suspended. It also noted that no response has come from the Prime Minister’s office. The General Assembly will have to vote for the strike to be suspended, then the unions will generally unite to suspend the action. It should be recalled that the suspension can be revoked if the Teacher unions find that there is a breach of the agreement.

VIOLENTLY QUELLING A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION

The Executive Council condemned the use of force to quell a peaceful demonstration of students. It also condemned the Vice-Chancellor for inviting the students to come back to campus when it was evident that most of the students had traveled home and that teachers had resolved not to come back to campus until a satisfactory solution had been proffered to the plethora of problems tabled to the government by Anglophone Teacher Unions.

The executive reiterated that the teachers’ strike continues and that all students should go home until the preconditions set with government are met. It condemned the unnecessary militarization of the university and student residential area calling on the powers that be to withdraw all troops forthwith. It urged parents to call back their children to avoid any further incidents in the near future. The council noted that if the ALL the students arrested on Monday 28 November are not released, the suspension of the on-going strike will never be possible. It also condemned the attempts on the lives of the President and SG of SYNES-UB by covert operatives working for the state.

The Executive was also informed that Prof Nol Alembong, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, had written to the Vice-chancellor, alleging that SYNES-UB had masterminded the students’ demonstration. The Executive found that he was only playing the hypocrite and wondered if there is anything Prof Alembong cannot do. It was recalled that he had put people on mission to Yaounde to denounce the very Vice-Chancellor he pretends is his friend, including other shameful acts he has carried out in public. The Executive resolved that it was time for the Vice-chancellor Dr. Nalova to go so that the University can come to terms with all its misfortunes.

MEETING WITH CPDM MPs
The meeting was convened at the behest of the Central committee of the ruling party and it was attended by Prof James Abangma (President), Dr. Sango (Vice President) and Dr. Enoh Richard (Welfare Secretary). Discussions centered on governance at UB, the teachers’ strike action, the anglophone problem and the causes and management of the students’ demonstration and its unfortunate aftermath. The MPs were informed of the resolve by teachers of UB not to come back to class if all the students are not released and their well-being assured. They were also informed that Dr. Nalova Lyonga and Governor Okalia Bilai had retired and should go home. While the former had run out of ideas, the latter is ruling the SW region like a colony, bullying, raising tensions and brutalizing the innocent.

Prof James Arrey Abangma
President
The National Union of Teachers of Higher Education
SYNES
University of Buea Chapter
Rm112 Admin Affairs Building