ASUU Rejects Government’s Order To Resume

The striking Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Nigerian government’s ‘Back to Class’ order, describing it as a political blackmail.

The government had on November 28 threatened to sack lecturers that failed to resume duties by December 4.

Responding to the seven day ultimatum issued by the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, the union maintained that it would not be cowed by the threat.

“We shall never succumb to this. Our country is our union’s constituency. We shall bow only to what we, as academics, are convinced will serve the interest of Nigeria and its people,” the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Mr. Nasir Faggae, told reporters on Monday in Abuja.

The Federal Government, in a meeting with the uinon, agreed to deposit part of the funds that the union had requested for the revitalisation of public universities in Nigeria to meet international standard. President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the union was at the meeting held on November 4, but the union said it had simply added clauses that will guard against failure of implementation.                                                                           

“ASUU’s invoking of the non-victimisation clause, rather than being an introduction of a new demand, is a common position that the government should know about,” Mr. Faggae said.

The members of the union suggested that the 200 billion Naira (about 1.3 billion dollars) agreed upon, as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities, be deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria and disbursed to the benefiting universities within two weeks.

“Out of the 52 branches of ASUU, 48, which is 92 per cent, advised conditional suspension of the strike if certain conditions are met,” the union’s leader said emphasising on the unions readiness to suspend the strike if the agreement is met.

The salaries of the lecturers of the Federal universities have not been paid since they embarked on strike on July 1, but the  union has said that the suspension of their salaries would not deter them.

“If the agreement is implemented as it is, within 3 to 5 years, we will see Nigerian Universities competing effectively with their peers in Africa, Asia and to an extent those in the western world,” he said.

The union urged the Federal Government to implement the agreement to enable them go back to class.

Source: Channels Tv