ASUU’s Indefinite Strike This Time Commences From 14th August 2017
The Oasis Reporters
August 14, 2017
Emerging from their referendum meeting held Sunday afternoon in Abuja by the ASUU executive members , the Academic staff Union of Universities has declared an indefinite strike from Monday 14th August 2017. The Union leader says this is to persuade the Federal government to meet their demands.
Several branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had voted overwhelmingly for members in both federal and state universities to embark on an indefinite strike to press home the implementation of their demands.
The ASUU branches nationwide on Friday held a referendum in line with an earlier directive by the National Executive Council (NEC) to vote whether the strike will be an indefinite one , one month strike, one week warning and no strike etc .
The University of Ibadan branch had met and over 200 of the university teachers voted that the strike be indefinite . Some voted for a month action, others for one week strike action, while a good number voted against any strike action whatsoever.
The premier university in Nigeria had emerged recently from an internal strike when it’s students emerged from the campus and spread into the neighborhood areas of Agbowo, Bodija, Ojo etc with banners and handbills demanding for Identification Cards for students that had been duly paid for.
Ibadan city was bemused, still the Vice chancellor, Prof. Abel Olayinka Idowu promptly shut the university down, apparently to secure the students and property. Most especially to ensure that hoodlums do not hijack the peaceful protest.
They had just resumed to write examinations. And now, this.
The meeting of ASUU NEC held at the union’s secretariat in Abuja to deliberate on the outcome of the referendum conducted by the branches.
Feelers from the NEC meeting indicate that several of the branches including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Lagos State University (LASU) voted for an indefinite industrial action. Just as the University of Ibadan did.
University of Ilorin in Nigeria’s middle belt region will not be joining. They are the only Federal government university that maintain the integrity of it’s calendar, no matter the exigencies.
Among issues in contention include federal government’s breach of the 2009 FG/ASUU Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on financing grant to state universities, conditions of service, non implementation of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and re – negotiation of the agreement.
Other outstanding issues are non provision of revitalization funds to public universities, non release of NUPEMCO operational licence, payment of half salaries to members and government owing universities outstanding N880 billion in intervention fund.
Parents are worried over the incessant strikes that cast a shadow on public universities, while private universities that run smooth academic calendars charge fees that majority of Nigerian parents cannot afford to pay.
