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.
ASUU-UNN members urged the government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with the Union. They carried placards with various inscriptions, including, “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.”
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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.
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 attempted every diplomatic and political avenue to address this matter. However, after considering every alternative, the Nigerian government can speak only strike.
“All attempts to renegotiate the agreement with the federal government have proven fruitless since ASUU entered into one in 2009.
“During his campaign, President Bola Tinubu stated unequivocally that he would put an end to the ASUU strike by granting all of the union’s demands. However, as soon as he took office, he failed to follow through on his promises.
We sent our complaints to him as soon as he took office, and we have done so up to three times. However, we have not heard back from the administration.
“Our Union has used political and diplomatic tactics to get the Federal Government to address our issues since he took office a year ago, but none of them have been successful.
Eze declared, “We are dealing with a hypocritical government that takes millions of dollars but cannot afford to give N100,000 to civil servants.”
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.
According to Obasanjonews.com, ASUU initiated a nationwide strike in 2022, which lasted for eight months, in response to the federal government’s refusal to carry out their deal with the union.
