By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has resolved to continue its nationwide strike for another two months.
The union, which held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting Sunday in Abuja to review developments since it declared a four-week roll-over strike, said it has resolved to extend the strike for another eight weeks to give government more time to address all the issues in concrete terms so that students could resume as soon as possible.
In a statement read to journalists by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, Monday at the headquarters of the union at the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, he said: “Having taken reports on the engagements of the trustees and principal officers with the government, we have concluded that government had failed to satisfactorily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the four-week roll-over strike period and resolved that the strike be rolled over for another eight weeks to give government more time to address all the issues in concrete terms so that our students will resume as soon as possible.
“The roll-over strike shall commence by 12.01 am on Monday, 14th March, 2022.”
The ASUU president said the meeting was called to review developments since the union declared a four-week total and comprehensive roll-over strike at the end of its NEC meeting at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos on the 12th and 13th February, 2022.
The strike came on the heels of government’s failure to satisfactorily implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the union in December 2020 on funding for revitalization of public universities (both federal and states), renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), Earned Academic Allowances, promotion arrears, withheld salaries and non-remittance of third-party deductions.
Osodeke said that the union’s leadership has held some interactive meetings with agents of government in the last four weeks the strike had lasted.
However, the ASUU boss said they were disappointed that government did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency they deserved during the four-week period as expected of a reasonable, responsive and well-meaning administration.
“NEC viewed government’s response, so far, as a continuation of the unconscionable, mindless and nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian ruling elite towards the proven path of national development which is education,” he said.
Osodeke said ASUU, as a union of intellectuals, has historic obligations to make governments honour agreements.
