The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday, called on
Nigerians to pressurise the Federal Government to honour their agreement
to forestall fresh strike.
The union’s President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, made the call in an
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, in Lagos.
Ogunyemi said that “Government has not kept faith with our MOA signed on February 7.
“What government ought to have done, they do not want to do any more. They have literally gone to sleep.
“For instance they had promised before the suspension of the strike,
to set up visitation panel to our universities within two weeks and
three months after government has not done anything in that regard.
“At least, not to my knowledge that they had put any panel in place nor inaugurated any.
“By February 28 of this year, government had promised to pay the
union, N25 billion part payment of outstanding arrears of the EARN
academic allowances.
“During our renegotiation with Dr Wale Babalakin, they promised to
put us in a more cordial path with fair guidelines when we come back to
the renegotiation table but now, there seem to be no change of attitude
on the side of government.”
According to him, the union has a timeframe attached to every action,
hence, the current call for caution on the part of government.
He explained that government had told the union that the funds had
been approved, but Ogunyemi said that there was a huge difference
between approval of such funds and its implementation.
He said that three months after the said approval, the funds were yet to get to the union.
“Our members have begun to express doubts about government’s promise to fulfill its pledge faithfully.
“And when this pressure begins to mount there is nothing the
leadership can do because leadership must hearken to the voice of
followers.
“The point is that we are not keen about disrupting the academic
calendar. What we are doing is to express our worries and carry the
public along.
“So, Nigerians must come out now and speak to government concerning
all these things raised to maintain the current precarious industrial
stability on our campuses,” he said
