The Alpha Liberation Organisation has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to negotiate and call off the lingering strike. Mr Abuoma Chuka, the national president of the group, told newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra, on Tuesday that the ultimatum was issued with immediate effect. He said that his organisation was already negotiating with coalitions of civil society groups nationwide and students’ bodies to stage a nationwide protest after the expiration of the ultimatum. Chuka noted that the strike, which made thousands of students to roam the streets, would enter its 100th day at the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum. "If the Federal Government fails to do everything to call off the strike, we will stage a protest. "We are into negotiations with all civil society groups. We will also mobilise the youth. We will jump into the streets. "In fact, exactly what happened during the fuel subsidy days will happen again, and no force can take us back. "So, we are advising the Federal Government to do everything within these 14 days and call off the strike. Let our youths go back to school," he said. Chuka, who lauded the listening posture of the Federal Government, however, blamed it for entering into an agreement which it could not honour. He recalled that the 2009 agreement stated that all federal universities would require N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 to address the decay in university education. He also noted that in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between ASUU and the government in 2012, the Federal Government decided to extend the arrangement to include both federal and state universities. Chuka noted that since the onset of the strike, there had been more than 11 negotiations between the Federal Government and the ASUU. "It is a very good development and the government has been able to offer N130 billion to appease ASUU. So we appreciate that. "But then the Federal Government entered into a MoU with ASUU, which it has not kept until now. The government is not faithful to the agreement," he said. Chuka, however, called on the government to make concerted efforts to resolve the crisis. He said that such efforts would stem academic brain drain and students’ migration to foreign universities.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 19:33:09 +0000
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