Following the Federal Government’s refusal to honor the 2009 agreement, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that it would not reverse its decision to prolong its strike.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU President, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
After exhausted all means available to reach an amicable settlement with the Federal Government, Osodeke said the union made the “tough decision.”
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“Let me give you an example because this is where we are getting it wrong, when the airline operators said they were going to stop the flights, the Senate and House of Representatives quickly stepped in.
“This is because they are affected; they quickly rushed in and addressed the problem, why would they not resolve that of the education sector that is affecting the children of the poor and the ordinary people
“If the government is willing to resolve the issues affecting the Nigerians, then there would be no need to go on strike.
‘“The problem is the will of the government to resolve issues,” he said.
ASUU’s roll-over strike, which began on February 14, was extended by another 12 weeks on Monday.
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Funding for the revitalization of public institutions, Earned Academic Allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), and promotion arrears are among the demands of the striking teachers.
Renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement and inconsistencies in the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System are among the others.
The Federal Government has not satisfied any of these criteria, according to Osodeke.
“All the issues that made us go on strike are still there; that is the revitalisation fund, that is putting more money into universities and revitalising the infrastructure in the universities.
“There is also the issue of our mode of payments in the universities. There is no university in the world where lecturers are paid salaries from the Accountant General’s Office.
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“We have challenged them to provide one, if universities are a universal body, why are they doing things differently.
“We talk of negotiation of the agreement, the proliferation of universities, among others, so there are lots of issues that they have not resolved.”
The ASUU president also said that the government had also refused to accept UTAS that he said had been tested and passed with a score of 99.3 per cent.
Osodeke urged the Federal Government to do the needful in order for students to return to school.
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