The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it is
willing to suspend the protracted strike action only when the federal
government meets its demands.
Ade Adejumo, the coordinator of the union’s Ibadan Zone, who
spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, said the union is ready to call off
the strike but can’t go back to class on empty stomachs.
The union had in March declared an indefinite strike, citing
the federal government’s failure to meet its demands.
The industrial action was on the back of disagreement with
the government over issues on revitalization of universities and earned
academic allowance.
Other issues raised by the union had included the Integrated
Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as well as funding of
universities.
According to Adejumo, the federal government had agreed to
inject more funds into the university system towards upping the standard of
education currently in place but is yet to fulfill the agreement.
“At this stage of the struggle, Nigerians are urged to
compel the government to release withheld salaries of our members, remit
check-off dues of the union to the rightful owner,” Ajao added.
“Government should also speed up the process of testing the
integrity of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) so
that it can be deployed for payment beginning from January 2021.
“We are ready to suspend the strike. Our children too are
tired of staying at home but we can’t work on empty stomachs.
“That is why ASUU has been consistent in challenging the rot
in the system through sustained engagements with the powers that be since the
time of the military.
“The gains of ASUU struggles are in the changes that TETFund
has been able to bring to the tertiary education sector in the country, and
ASUU will not relent in pushing for a better university system in the country.”
Adejumo, who was represented at the conference by Moyo Ajao,
the chairperson of ASUU at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), said the union
was forced into a strike in order to give FG the room to address the lingering
issues.
“It was a patriotic act aimed at resolving the issues so
that our students would be in school any time the lockdown was lifted,” the
chairman said.
“Some people have been wondering why ASUU is on strike
again. The simple answer is that ASUU is on strike because of the survival of
the University system where many of us still have our children as students.
“ASUU is on strike in order to restore the past glory of
public universities and address infrastructural decay and deficit in our
institutions.
“ASUU is on strike for the legitimate dues of its members
who are the least paid in the tertiary education sub-sector.”
Ajao expressed concerns about its multiple meetings with FG
delegates, some of which ended without a consensus. He said the union is tired
of having circus “a show of talks” but continues to do so in the interest of
the students.
The minister of state jumped to state you have no reason not to call off the strike. Similar statements have been made various Government officials. The fact is that @MBuhari Government is not ready to pay neither will they even meet you halfway. They are exploring a tactics they have always used delay, then the will try coercion and divide to conquer. Don't bulge ASUU has come this far. Once in the lifetime ASUU has opportunity to get all they have been denied in decades. If it means waiting for the government until 2023 hold your ground. Retire to your villages and take up taking until they are ready.
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