Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago- Iwoye,on Wednesday, embarked on a peaceful rally to sensitise parents, students and other stakeholders on the impending nationwide strike to press home their demands from the federal government.
The union members armed with placards with various inscriptions said the rally was in line with the directive of its national body.
“Nigerians, ASUU has sacrificed more than enough for the survival of the university system,” “FG stop playing politics with our educational system,” “Education is a right and not a privilege,” “Our negotiation should be completed and implemented”, some of the inscriptions read.
The Acting Chairman of OOU branch, Dr. Wasiu Olooto, who led the rally said that strike which ought to have commenced, had been postponed till a later date in July, so as to enable the lecturers and other stakeholders prepare ahead of the strike.
Olooto explained that the rally became imperative in other to save the nation’s public universities.
The lecturers went round the university campus, motor parks , bus terminals to inform them about the imminent strike.
Olooto said owing ASUU members on the guise of ‘no work, no pay policy’ as punishment for previous strike; quest for university autonomy; disbandment of some Governing Council Boards of Federal Universities when their tenure has not ended and refusal to recall them; non – implementation of the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement in full; rejection of the UTAS payment system developed by the ASUU and the continued use of the IPPIS to pay members as other unresolved issues necessitating the impending nationwide strike.
“The basis of the rally we had today is to sensitize our students and stakeholders in the university about the impending action. The action may be determined by circumstances. It might be strike or something else.
“The essence is to keep them aware that very soon, very very soon and truly, truly I say unto you that very very soon the action will be exposed but it will be as directed by the national body. I believe that they have been sensitized and given their consent. So, if they hear that ASUU is on strike, they would have already been aware of it and the purpose.
“There are many things the government has not done. Our colleagues were being owed eight months salary because of the previous strike. They adopted the policy of ‘no work no pay.’ They have paid four and half months. It still remains three and half months unpaid. We are saying the remaining months owed our members should be paid.
“The claim was that they didn’t teach but they forgot that the job of lecturers is not only limited to teaching. There are areas of community service, there are areas of research. Let them go ask the students if what they were supposed to be taught when ASUU was on strike was not eventually taught when the strike was called off?
“Immediately after the strike called off and school resumed, we made sure that all what the students were supposed to learn were treated, they were examined, scripts were marked and results were released. What else did they want us to do that we did not do? So, there is no basis for withholding the three and half months salary of our members,” he added.
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, during sensitation rally on imminent nationwide strike held on Wednesday.