The University of Nigeria’s Nsukka branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, has vowed to go on strike in response to the Federal Government’s unwillingness to listen to their complaints.
This is all the while the union insisted it is dealing with a government that is hypocritical and claimed it has tried both diplomatic and political measures in vain.
They made the threat on Thursday after peacefully protesting the federal government’s refusal to carry out an agreement with the union during a march around the campus.
Members of ASUU-UNN, who bore different placards such as “Government, stop forcing ASUU to embark on strike; government, honour agreements with ASUU; Government, don’t kill university education in Nigeria; Nigeria lecturers are the least paid in the globe,” among other inscriptions, urged the government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with the Union.
The union’s members declared that if the federal government did not comply with their demands after a 21-day ultimatum, they would back the request of their national leadership for a nationwide indefinite strike.
In his statement to the UNN management on behalf of the union, Comrade Oyibo Eze, the Chairman of ASUU-UNN, referred to the Nigerian government as evil and hypocritical.
He claimed that despite President Bola Tinubu’s pledge to put a stop to the ASUU strike as soon as he took office, Union members had used both diplomatic and political measures to get the Presidency to address their complaints. They regretted that neither had been successful.
ASUU Warns FG, Governors Over Alleged Plan To ‘Destroy Nigerian University’
According to Eze, the National Assembly and the Presidency continue to syphon off funds from the common treasury for their own personal gain, while the general populace continues to live in extreme poverty.
“The Union has tried all possible diplomatic and political means to resolve this issue. But after weighing all the other options, the only language the Nigerian government understands is strike.
“Since 2009 ASUU entered an agreement with the Federal Government, every effort to renegotiate the agreement with the federal government has proved abortive.
“President Bola Tinubu made it clear during his campaign that he would end the ASUU strike by fulfilling all the demands of the Union, but immediately he assumed office, he never made efforts to match his words with action.
“Immediately he assumed office, we articulated our grievances and sent them to him, we have done that up to three times but we have not received any response from the government.
Nigerian University Professors Lowest Paid In The World – ASUU
“Since he assumed office one year ago, our Union has employed both political and diplomatic means to make the Federal Government address our grievances, but none yielded any result.
“We are dealing with a hypocritical government, which takes money in millions but is not able to give N100,000 to civil servants,” Eze said.
Professor Johnson Urama, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNN, addressed the union and praised its members for voicing their displeasure with the federal government through lawful, nonviolent protest.
Urama voiced hope that the federal government would move quickly to stop the impending ASUU strike, which would have a negative impact on tertiary education.
ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike, Issues 3 Weeks Ultimatum To FG
According to Anaedoonline.ng, ASUU initiated a nationwide strike in 2022 due to the federal government’s inability to carry out the terms of their agreement with the union. The strike lasted for eight months.
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.