ASUU gives condition to call off strike BENIN CITY - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the demand on the union to call off its four months old strikes is a recipe for prolonging the strike. The University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter of the union said yesterday that the moment federal government implements ASUU’s demands, the strike would be called off. The union’s position was declared yesterday by the UNIBEN ASUU during a peaceful protest to the palace of the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council Press Centre in Benin City. The peaceful protest was to enlist the assistance of the Benin Monarch and journalists to prevail on the federal government to implement the agreement it freely entered into with the union. The union which spoke through several of its members said the government has not shown any political will to reposition the education sector, rather government had evolved a subtle means to cripple public universities so that private universities could flourish. “These private universities being founded are mostly owned by past and present political leaders of the country”. “If government is serious with funding the country’s education, they should organize a fund raising where people would contribute to meet up with the demand to fund the sector”, the union said. The union noted that the resolution of the National Assembly for ASUU to end the strike is unfortunate as nothing is being said about implementing the demands. “The argument that those who negotiated the 2009 agreement did so in ignorance is unfortunate as credible Nigerians like the Comrade Governor (Adams Oshiomhole) Revd Fr. Theophilus Uwaifo, President Goodluck Jonathan who was the Vice President are all party to the agreement before it was signed by the late President Umaru Yar’a dua. The union noted that, “it is no longer time for appeals for ASUU to end the strike, what is needed now is implemented and not negotiation. “You cannot have an agreement and say let us negotiate; should we repudiate the agreement reached earlier. “Between the period of the 2009 agreement and before this recent strike, the government did nothing to call ASUU to clarify the gray areas in the agreement”. The union doubted the sincerity of government in getting the union to call off its ongoing strike, saying, “If the government is sincere, we should be invited to a press debate on the 2009 agreement. The NUJ Chairman in his response while acknowledging the decay in the nation’s educational sector said the political class is lacking in political will to bring the ASUU strike to an end. He however faulted the delay in taking the present stance, saying that the state of the education system would have long received the desired attention. He cautioned ASUU to guide against divide and rule system among its members which he said frustrated previous efforts in this direction. With the present scenario, the NUJ boss noted Education for all by the year 2015 and the Vision 20: 2020 is unattainable.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:59:10 +0000