OAU students begin exams despite ASUU strike

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Monday, began exams for the 2017/2018 second semester despite the ongoing strike action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

ASUU, led by Biodun Ogunyemi, had embarked on industrial action on November 4 to protest poor funding of universities and non-implementation of agreements reached.

While other academic activities were suspended in various universities, some departments in OAU carried on because they had lecturers who were not members of ASUU.

These lecturers claim to be a part of the Congress Of Nigeria University Academics (CONUA) and claimed that the strike action was not binding on them.

Students of Botany, Zoology and some foreign languages have been affected by the strike action, their colleagues in English and Literary Studies department have been receiving lectures and sat for exams on Monday.

When contacted, Abiodun Olarenwaju, the university’s public relations officer, said the school calendar would not be extended.

“There’s nothing that suggests we are going to extend any calendar. Don’t let us be speculative, when we get to the bridge we will cross it,” he said in December.

“The senate of the university is in charge of the academic activities, if they find it find to extend, they will and if not, there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and don’t let us be speculative

“Whether they are going to extend it or not has not stopped the students from reading, they should read.”