ASUU Speaks On Fresh Academic Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on Nigerians, particularly the stakeholders in the educational sector to appeal to the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the union.

Naija News understands that the union urged the federal government to comply with the agreement to forestall further industrial crisis in the nation’s tertiary education sector.

The union’s President, Biodun Ogunyemi made the call in an interview with the newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

In his interview, Ogunyemi said that the “Government has not kept faith with our MOA signed on February 7.

“What government ought to have done, they do not want to do any more. They have literally gone to sleep.

“For instance they had promised before the suspension of the strike, to set up visitation panel to our universities within two weeks and three months after government has not done anything in that regard.

“At least not to my knowledge that they had put any panel in place nor inaugurate any.

“By February 28 of this year, government had promised to pay the union, N25 billion part payment of outstanding arrears of the EARN academic allowances.

“Our renegotiation with Dr Wale Babalakin had promised to put us in a more cordial path with fair guidelines when we come back to the renegotiation table but now, there seems to be no change of attitude on the side of government.”

According to him, the union has a time-frame attached to every action, hence the current call for caution on the part of government.

Ogunyemi explained that the government had said that funds in respect to honouring the MOA between the government and the union had been approved, however, the union stated that the union is yet to receive the approved funds.

He said that three months after the said approval, the funds were yet to get to the union.

In his words, Ogunyemi furthered; “Our members have begun to express doubts about government’s promise to fulfill its pledge faithfully.

“And when this pressure begins to mount there is nothing the leadership can do because leadership must hearken to the voice of followers.

“The point is that we are not keen about disrupting the academic calendar. What we are doing is to express our worries and carry the public along.

“So, Nigerians must come out now and speak to government concerning all these things raised to maintain the current precarious industrial stability on our campuses.”