ASUU extends strike by 12 weeks
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it would continue its strike, extending it by 12 weeks.
ASUU’s National Executive Council had met on Sunday night at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, where the decision to continue the strike was taken.
In a statement, ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the extension was to allow government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.
He said: “NEC was shocked that public universities have remained closed for about three months while members of the political class were busy purchasing expression of interest and nomination forms worth several millions of Naira in preparations for 2023 elections! Those in power turned their back on our degraded universities as they shuttle between Europe and America to celebrate the graduation of their children and wards from world class universities. This speaks volumes on the level of depravity, insensitivity, and irresponsibility of Nigeria’s opportunistic and parasitic political class.
“The result of the criminal neglect of education and gross mismanagement of the nation’s patrimony is evident in the collapse of the security architecture of our nation. Insecurity is getting worse by the day and spreading like the harmattan inferno in hitherto peaceful and secured parts of Nigeria, including university campuses. ASUU warns, once more, that unless something drastic is done to reverse these ugly trends, the country may be headed for a state of anarchy.
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“NEC condemned the provocative statements of some government functionaries and salutes the Nigerian Labour Congress, patriotic students’ groups and civil society organisations who have taken steps towards resolving the current labour dispute with the Nigeria government.
Last Friday, it was reported that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, during a meeting with the striking National Association of Academic Technologists promised to meet with ASUU this week.
However, Osodeke told our correspondent, that the union had yet to receive any notice of meeting from any Federal Government ministry.
