Strike: ASUU To Announce Next Step Soon – Prof Osodeke

The Federal Government has been condemned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its approach to its demands and the ongoing strike.

The current industrial action of ASUU which was extended by eight weeks is expected to end in two weeks.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, during an interview on Channels TV last week had charged ASUU to meet with the Benimi Briggs Committee.

He further stated that the decision to end the ongoing strike embarked upon by ASUU could only be taken by the union.

Ngige said, “It depends on ASUU. The ball is in their court. They should go and meet the Benimi Briggs Committee and look at what the committee is doing and make further inputs so that the work can be accelerated.”

The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke in an interview with Punch on Sunday condemned Ngige for directing the union to meet with another party other than the government.

Osodeke further stated that ASUU might have no choice but to extend the strike after its expiration.

He said, “The rollover ends in two weeks, and there is no information, nothing new from the FG. They didn’t make any effort to get in touch with us or seek ways of ending the strike.

“Our members will decide after two weeks what step to take. We will meet. We are not begging them for discussion; they should invite us for any meeting. That’s the way it should be. We are not on strike with Ngige or Briggs but against the government, so why is he saying we should go and meet one committee or one person? We are on strike against a system. Ngige just talks without thinking. Are we on strike with a particular person?”

Some of ASUU’s demands include the release of revitalization funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the UTAS payment platform for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.