ASUU Strike: We Will Not Be Pressured To Call Off Strike- ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Saturday, re-iterated its resolve to continue their 8-month old industrial action if their demands are not met by the Federal Government.

Dr Edor J. Edor, the ASUU Chairman of University of Calabar, restated the union’s resolve in an interview with Daily Post.

Edor noted that common challenges faced by students particularly in the area of poor accommodation would significantly improve when government meets ASUU’s demands.

The ASUU Chairman also dismissed rumours that government has reached an agreement with the union.

He said the branches would hold their respective congresses next week to determine whether to call off the industrial action.

“It’s the branches of ASUU that has the supreme power to say we have heard government’s proposal and are comfortable or we are not comfortable.

“For now, the branches have not held their congresses and we may hold our congresses early next week then we will decide if to call off strike or not.

READ ALSO: How Nigerian Students Can Bring An End To ASUU Strike

“The situation as it is now is that between ASUU and the federal government there is no agreement yet.

“We will wish that the Nigerian students, parents, leaders, traditional rulers, civil societies and opinion leaders of various communities should understand that it’s in the interest of these students that we are embarking on this action.

“It is so that they would have hope that we are on this action, we are actually on this action so that Nigerian students would no longer cluster in their hostels when they resume school. We are actually on this action so that our daughters who live like sardines in the hostels in the name of accommodation would have spacious and ventilated accommodations. All of them who live in the hostels, I’m making no exception, they have no clean and decent toilet to ease themselves.

“When we are calling for revitalization funds for public universities, we are actually fighting to improve the standard of living of our students who are our children so that we will have decent offices to work in, standard laboratories, standard theatres and other structural materials. We are actually wishing our students and children well and on top of that, we are saying the university teacher can’t take a second place in the society, it’s not done in any part of the world. The people we groom and churn into the society gets there and begins to lord it over us.

“Nigerian government should at least look into the welfare of our members. We are hell bent on government solving this problem this time substantially, we are not in a hurry to suspend this action” Edor said.

However, reasonable progress seems to have been made within the context of the negotiations as the federal government has finally excluded academic staff from the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System, IPPIS, payment system, which had been a serious bone of contention.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment after a meeting between a delegation of the federal government and ASUU leadership in Abuja on Friday.