Public university lecturers
under the umbrella of the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, on
Sunday insisted that they
would not return to the
classrooms on Monday as
directed by the federal
government.
They also accused the
President Gooodluck
Jonathan-led Government
of insincerity in its bid to
resolve the 6 months old
dispute. ASUU President,
Dr. Nasir Fagge,
confirmed their stand to
go on with the strike...
The Federal Government
had through the Executive
Secretary of the National
Universities Commission,
Prof. Julius Okojie,
deferred its earlier
ultimatum to the lecturers
to resume work on
Monday (today) or risk
being sacked. The shift
was to enable them to
participate in the burial of
Prof. Festus Iyayi, a
former president of ASUU
on Saturday.
Before this, the
Supervising Minister of
Education, Nyesom Wike,
had advised the striking
lecturers to return to work
on or before December 4
or face dismissal.
But ASUU had in a news
bulletin to its chapters
after its meeting in
Ekpoma, Edo State on
Sunday, said the Federal
Government had not met
its conditions for
suspending the over five
months’ strike.
When asked by Punch if
the members of the union
would go back to work
today and if they had
confirmed the N200bn the
Federal Government
claimed to have deposited
in a special account at
the Central Bank of
Nigeria, Fagge simply
replied, “No to both
questions.”
ASUU had in the bulletin
insisted that the
government threat to sack
its members would not
break the union’s resolve
to pursue its action to a
logical conclusion.
A source privy to the
meeting, said:
“No Jupiter will force us
to go and teach until all
the agreements are
documented. The Federal
Government is not
sincere. If indeed the
authorities have agreed,
why will they be afraid to
document what has been
agreed upon?
“Let the vice-chancellors,
who can teach, go and do
so. But our members are
determined not to sign
any attendance register
tomorrow (today). The
threat does not bother us,
as truth will always
supercede deception, lies
and any form of
intimidation.”
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