ASUU strike paralyses UNILAG, OAU, six others

Academic activities were paralysed in some universities across the country as more institutions joined the two-week warning strike called by the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The strike is aimed at forcing Federal Government to implement agreement reached with the union in June 2001.

The union has also rejected an invitation for a dialogue by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, saying that the ministry was not the appropriate institution to negotiate the terms of agreement with the lecturers.

Both parties had agreed on improved welfare condition and infrastructural development of the nation‘s public university system and the review of the law that set up the Education Trust Fund.

According to the agreement, government is expected to inject increased funding in phases into the system, while negotiations are to be done at intervals to review the success and otherwise of the implementation.

But since the agreement was brokered, government had consistently reneged on these promises, thus forcing the leadership of the union to call for another round of strike to press home its demands.

And in obedience to the call, lecturers in universities in Ile-Ife, Uyo, Lagos, Abuja, Ado-Ekiti, Ago-Iwoye, Ijagun and Yola refused to turn up for lectures on Thursday.

The ASUU, University of Abuja chapter, on Thursday, formally declared its support for the ongoing two-week warning strike; and rejected any negotiation with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity as suggested by the Education Ministry.

Its Chairman, Dr. Abu Mallam, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said the withdrawal of the Federal Ministry of Education from the agreement earlier reached between it and ASUU was a step in the wrong direction

The Education Ministry had refused to sign the agreement on the grounds that the Ministry of Labour and Productivity was the most appropriate institution to negotiate the terms of the agreement with ASUU.

But Mallam, who said he had the authority of the National Executive Committee to speak, said the union was not prepared to commence any discussion with the labour ministry.

He noted that since the university system was under the FME, it was necessary for ASUU to first discuss with the ministry as its parent body.

Mallam added, ”The Ministry of Education did not make any mistake when it negotiated with ASUU. We reached a number of agreements and we were supposed to have signed the agreements.

“But the ministry kept on postponing the signing of the agreement. It cannot now be running away from its responsibility.”

Also, lecturers at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, have joined their counterparts nationwide in the warning strike.

One of our correspondents, who visited the school, noted that some of the students expected to be having their first semester examinations were seen loitering around the compound.

Other students were seen sitting in groups at different corners and discussing the effects of the strike on their academic activities.

One of the lecturers, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday, said there was no going back on the warning strike.

The lecturer, who preferred anonymity, argued that it was wrong for the Federal Government to continue to pay lip service to the development of education.

At the University of Lagos, the lecturers‘ union at a briefing with journalists, announced their decision to join the strike.

The ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Yomi Akinyeye, said the Federal Government should be blamed for the action.