ASUU adamant, says strike continues

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday dashed the hope of parents and students for early reopening of public universities by insisting that the ongoing strike will not be called off until the Federal Government signs the renegotiated agreement and accepts the implementation of Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as payment platform. 

The union also accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, as being responsible for the prolonged strike. 

ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, who briefed newsmen in Abuja, said the union needed to make clarifications on some of the allegations made by the minister. 

He insisted that the strike would not be suspended until the Federal Government signs the renegotiated agreement, accept UTAS as the payment platform in place of Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), release revitalisation fund, among other issues on demand. 

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He added that ASUU is ready to end the strike any day the goverment fulfills its part of the bargain, while he also asked that Ngige be dropped from the Federal Government negotiation team. ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14 and, by March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months, to allow the government to meet all of its demands. 

On May 9, ASUU extended its rollover strike by another three months as the Federal Government was yet to implement agreements reached with the union. 

Osodeke, while addressing journalists on Tuesday, said it was imperative to update Nigerians and lovers of education on the status of the ongoing nationwide strike. He asked Nigerians to hold Ngige responsible for the prolonged strike and dismissed the claim by the minister that there was no agreement between ASUU and the government.

The union president said lecturers would fully participate in the two-day nationwide protest declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), following the continued closure of the public universities in Nigeria. The nationwide protest, according to the NLC, is scheduled to hold on Tuesday and Wednesday.

ASUU president condemned the proliferation of universities that could not be properly funded by both federal and state governments. He tasked the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to ensure that the contending issues are resolved expeditiously within two weeks as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari, after receiving briefing on Tuesday from goverment officials involved in the negotiation with ASUU, directed Adamu to resolve the prolonged strike and report back to him in two weeks.