No calling off strike yet – ASUU NEC

[Dan-Borno]

WRITTEN BY HIR JOSEPH, MAKURDI
Daily Trust Online Newspaper

The Academic Staff Union of Universities does not believe that the one week left for renegotiation with the Federal Government would yield any positive result enough to lead to a review of the strike, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the striking university lecturers declared yesterday.

The NEC ordered that, "The ongoing strike action embarked upon by the Union be continued until the negotiation is concluded and an agreement signed to the satisfaction of NEC."

ASUU National President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awozie, flanked by members of NEC including Dr. Abdullahi Sule Kano, Prof. Esko Toyo, Dr. Fasina Oladipo and Dr. Nasir Fage, said the first week out of the two weeks period scheduled by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan for resumed renegotiation has also failed.  It however resolved that "the negotiation which started since November 2006 be concluded and an agreement be signed with the Federal Government."

The NEC, which met yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, said agents of the Federal Government including the Minister for Education and the chairman of the FGN/ASUU Renegotiation Team, Mr. Gamaliel Onosode, are frustrating the effort to resolve the contending issues. He said, contrary to expectation by Nigerians that the re-opened FGN/ASUU dialogue as directed by the Vice President will lead to calling off the strike, it has entered into the second and last week without the parties raising any discussion on the table.

Reading from a 10-paged text titled "Government Forces ASUU to Continue Strike", Prof. Awozie said the attitude of government agents towards the directive of the Vice President is a clear indication that the government team on the planned renegotiation is not going to respect the principle of Collective Bargaining, after all.

"We cannot abdicate our responsibility to defend and ensure the emergence of an internationally and nationally acceptable university system, that is affordable by majority of Nigerians and that produces quality university graduates and leaders," he said.
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make una no come back abeg una, you guys make una fight gallantly
until hope is restored on our educational sector - afterall the parking
lot is even full, no where to keep graduates.

[Dan-Borno]

rumours is spreading very fast that the senior academic
staff of universities are warming up for another round of
strike action - is it true?

[Muhsin]

Ina ji ciki na ya duri ruwa, DB. Muna so muyi graduating this year and. . . :-X

But I later learn it was some sort of a bluff by the insatiable flock.