The Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, has said it is not ready to call off its strike action until the federal government pays them their outstanding three to seven months’ salary and approves the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) among other demands.
ASUU’s position was made known through a statement released by its Ibadan Zone, Zonal Coordinator, Professor Ade Adejumo.
Adejumo faulted the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige over his statement on a TV broadcast that the government was not owing lecturers any salary.
According to ASUU, federal government agencies have been foot dragging on early resolution of the ongoing strike anchored on implementation of outstanding components of 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, revitalisation funding of Universities, unpaid earned academic allowances and renegotiation of the agreement for upward review of salaries of lecturers to conform to contemporary reality.
ASUU holds postcolonial Nigerian governments responsible for education sector underdevelopment of the nation adding that this is why the government has become a shadow of itself.
Nigerian governments’ increasing anti-labor policies and the history of sabotage in the education sector and the government’s refusal to honor the agreement reached with the union for revitalization of public sector universities, were the reasons ASUU went on strike.
Professor Adejumo also stated that, “ASUU is particularly disappointed because we assumed that the government’s public outlook was based on the anti-corruption constantly orchestrated by this government.”
He berated the Buhari led Government of allegedly being insensitive to education and for the inhuman treatment of lecturers.
