We Are Set For Indefinite Strike, FG Dribbling Us – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said its members in universities,(ASUU), has reiterated its readiness to embark on an indefinite strike action.

The academic body accused the Federal Government of insincerity in implementing the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union last year.
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This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen after the congress of the union held on Monday.

The Chairman of ASUU in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Dr Biodun Olaniran, and  Secretary, Dr Toyin Abegunrin, emphasized that the failure of the government  to fully implement the agreements was worrisome.
The union, however said said it had resolved to embark on an indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands within a certain period of time.

He further appealed to Nigerians to prevail on government in order to avert the looming strike. Stressing that ASUU had allowed many stakeholders to talk to the government, which had portrayed the union as a dog, which could only bark but could not bite.

The statement read in part, “Our union, ASUU, is using this medium to call upon the Federal Government of Nigeria once again to implement the agreement it signed with Union. It is unfortunate to mention that the FG signed an agreement with the ASUU since 2009, but the agreement is not implemented till date.
“The agreement was renegotiated in the name of peace. But to our dismay, the government has refused to sign the renegotiated agreement. In order to make the implementation of the agreement easy for the FG, the union has limited its demand to only three.

“These include the signing/implementation of the renegotiated agreement of 2009; and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Software instead of the controversial IPPIS.”
Similarly, the Chairman of the Union, Kwara State University, Malete, Dr Salau Sheu, said that the Federal Government was trying to dodge its responsibility by directing ministers to oversee the implementation of the MoA.

He said, “It is wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to assign two ministers to oversee the implementation of the Memorandum of Action signed last year with ASUU. First, the assigned ministers are not part of the agreement. Only the ministers of Finance and Education were part of the agreement. The Federal Government is trying to take away university autonomy through its designed programmes and it is trying to shy away from implementing the resolutions of the negotiations.
“ASUU is having its National Executive Council meeting at the University of Lagos on February 12 and 13. If nothing is done by the government between now and then, the lecturers may go on strike.”

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