The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it is continuing its nationwide strike on the advice of university students.
In a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH,
the President of the union, Dr. Isa Fagge, said students were tired of
the incessant industrial actions by the university lecturers due to the
Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreement it had with
ASUU since 2009.
Fagge said the union had decided to heed
the advice of the students to continue the strike until the Federal
Government fully implemented the agreement.
“Our students have come out to say they
don’t want us to call off the strike until the Federal Government
answers us, because they don’t want us to call off now and later we go
back to strike again. So, we are heeding the advice of our students,” he
said.
On the complaint by the Federal
Government that it lacked the funds to implement the agreement, Fagge
said it was not all about money, noting that government did not need
funds to start implementing some parts of the agreement.
“There are issues and agreement they can implement without money. Why don’t they begin with those ones?” he asked.
He added that it was unfortunate that
the government had pulled out of dialogue with ASUU, stating that the
union would not be intimidated.
He said, “Now, government has pulled out
of the dialogue. We thought we were the ones going on strike, but now
government has also gone on strike.”
Last Thursday, university students under
the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students
reportedly staged a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti and flayed the Federal
Government for failing to honour the agreement it had with ASUU since
2009.
The students, who were from public
universities, threatened to disrupt activities of private universities,
adding that the government was not bothered about their plight because
children of government officials were studying either in private
universities or studying overseas.
The university lecturers began an
indefinite strike on July 1 and have been demanding full implementation
of the agreement ASUU had with the Federal Government in 2009, which
among other things include the UNESCO-recommended 26 per cent budgetary
allocation for education. However, the government said it could not
implement the agreement, and is seeking re-negotiation.
The Federal Government, last Wednesday,
accused ASUU of being unrealistic by continuing its nationwide strike
and asked it to rethink its demands, considering other commitments
government has.
The Minister of Information, Labaran
Maku, who gave government’s position on the strike when he briefed
journalists at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive
Council, said apart from security, education was one of the sectors the
government had expended a lot of money on.
PUNCH
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I agree with U Fagge. This strike must continue till Jonathan & his confused financial advisers and Ministers implement the 2009 agreement to the Full.
ReplyDeleteASUU shld know that calling of this strike now without achieving its purpose will severly damage its REPUTATION.
ALUTA CONTINUA, VICTORIA ACETA!
LONG LIVE ASUU, SHORT LIVE our greedy POLITICIANS.
I agree with the student and ASUU..the strike should continue until their agreements are met... Academic programmes in Nigeria university has consistently been disrupted in the last 15 to 20 years. We must get to the bottom this time around...In fact ASUU should sign agreement with the student too that their wont be strike after this struggle...
ReplyDeleteIf we should continue this strike then private university should join us so that those greed politcians who don't care about the future generation.
ReplyDelete