The
Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, says there is no going back
on its one-week warning strike scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Biodun Ogunyemi, the union’s National
President, told the News Agency of Nigeria on telephone on Tuesday in
Lagos that the strike would be total.
The union leadership, after its
emergency executive committee meeting, declared the warning strike at a
news conference on Monday in Abuja.
Mr. Ogunyemi said chronic under-funding
of the sector through low budgetary allocation, which went from 11 per
cent in 2015 to eight per cent in 2016, did not go down well with the
union.
He pointed out the failure of government
to implement the 2009 agreement and the 2013 Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) as some of the reasons for embarking on the warning
strike.
The president said that its members were
tired of what they described as “government’s empty promises’’ in
setting up its negotiation team for the review of agreement as
consistently requested by ASUU since 2012.
“There shall be no teaching, no
examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any
of our branches while the strike lasts.”
According to him, the union will put machinery in place to ensure that there is total compliance during the strike.
He explained that the essence of the
warning strike was to draw attention of concerned stakeholders and the
general public to the challenges that the unions, universities and other
stakeholders in the sector were facing.
“Nobody will say before we exhaust the
warning strike some issues cannot be addressed if government wants to be
sincere with our cause.
“We are doing this because we want
Nigerians to come into the matter and ensure that these issues are given
adequate attention they deserve.
“Our lecturers are given 40 per cent of
their salaries, which is just not encouraging, as this will lead to poor
commitment in carrying out their jobs.
“I am sure nobody will like a 40 per
cent university education or 40 per cent teaching of various courses
including research development and output.
“That is why we have to take the matter
before the National Assembly, which we believe, will come into the
matter just like the Nigerian parents.’’
Reacting to the impending strike, the
National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), said that ASUU
was right and that it must be supported.
Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the association’s 2nd
Deputy National President, told NAN that it was time the government
takes the country’s education seriously.
“ASUU has done well by giving warning, considering the patience its members have shown in these whole issues.
“At least it is good for them to feel the pulse of Nigerians and other key stakeholders on the matter.
“However, because Nigeria is struggling
with recession presently, we, on behalf of Nigerian parents are begging
them not to down tool totally.
“They have made their points and we
thank them for creating the awareness but we are begging them to shelve
the looming strike to sometimes next year, when the recession might have
been abated.
“Government too should seize the
opportunity to listen to the union and see what can be done concerning
all the issues it has raised.
“It will be a total disaster if
government should allow ASUU to down tool indefinitely, considering the
hardship that is currently taking its toll on every sector of the
nation’s economy.”
Mr. Ogunbanjo said that a full-fledged strike would not be welcomed by majority of Nigerians in the current situation.
He said the strike would only add more grief to the suffering masses.
Credit: NAN
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