The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ASUU STRIKE

  • Strike: Anyim, ASUU meet Monday

    Strike: Anyim, ASUU meet Monday

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, will on Monday meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities to address earned allowance and general university funding for infrastructure development.

    Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue disclosed this to journalists on Friday in Abuja after a meeting of ASUU with members of the committee on implementation of Needs Assessment Report to Nigerian Universities.

    Suswan is chairman of the committee, inaugurated earlier in the day by Anyim.

    He said an agreement was reached on many of the issues under negotiation except the two concerning earned allowance and general university funding for infrastructure development.

    Suswan explained that after many hours of deliberation the meeting agreed on major issues except the two.

    “These are the outstanding issues, otherwise other issues have been agreed on and we believe that by next week we should be able to agree on all the issues and, probably, ASUU will call off the strike,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying to journalists.

    He said the committee would also meet with ASUU on August 1 to address the issue of infrastructure deficit in universities, adding that the meeting would involve all the agencies funding projects in the universities.

     

     

  • Strike: We are still waiting for government – ASUU

    Strike: We are still waiting for government – ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities said it is still waiting for another meeting proposed by the Federal Government, to discuss the way forward concerning the ongoing lecturers’ strike.

    The ASUU National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Lagos.

    ASUU had on July 1, embarked on what it described as a “comprehensive, total and indefinite“ nationwide strike.

    The lecturers are protesting the non-implementation of an aspect of the agreement they entered into with the federal government since 2009.

    According to Fagge, the Minister of Education and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), after the last meeting they held with ASUU, promised to convene another one.

    He said that they were waiting to hear from the government officials.

    “We shall continue to wait for them until they are ready to put in place a lasting solution to the current issue, so that our children and the lecturers alike can go back to school.”

    Fagge said that plans by other labour unions in the academic community to also embark on strike over non-implementation of agreements by the federal government would further jeopardise the sector.

    “This is an indication that government is not doing what is right and until government starts looking at agreement as a product of collective bargaining, we shall keep having problems,” he told NAN.

  • Don decries ASUU strike

    Don decries ASUU strike

    The Pro-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti Prof Jide Osuntokun has condemned the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as destructive and retrogressive for the university system.

    In an interview at the special prayers and thanksgiving organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Throne of Grace, headquarters, Lagos, he said: “I am totally against the strike as it has destroyed the university system in Nigeria. People no longer respect our degrees outside the country because we always go on strike.”

    He noted that the strike is not fair on parents who spend their fortunes sponsoring their wards for a four-year course only for them to end up spending eight to 10 years in school because of strike.

    “ASUU can negotiate for better salary and reward without going on strike at the least excuse because the students and the parents are often the victims,” he said.

    He said dialogue and negotiations between the lecturers and federal government on their salaries and other issues would provide lasting solution to the miriads of problem bedeviling the university system than the incessant strikes.

    Osuntokun asserted that it is very disheartening for lecturers to be comparing themselves with the law makers who earn N24 million per month because teaching is a divine calling.

    He also appealed to the federal government to stop the creation of the new nine federal universities which according to him ‘is only borne out of politics in the educational sector’

    “I do not support the creation of nine federal universities because the existing institutions lack the basis infrastructure and know how that can match up with the best university in the world,” he added.

  • Don decries ASUU strike

    Don decries ASUU strike

    The Pro-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti Prof Jide Osuntokun has condemned the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as destructive and retrogressive for the university system.

    In an interview at the special prayers and thanksgiving organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Throne of Grace, headquarters, Lagos, he said: “I am totally against the strike as it has destroyed the university system in Nigeria. People no longer respect our degrees outside the country because we always go on strike.”

    He noted that the strike is not fair on parents who spend their fortunes sponsoring their wards for a four-year course only for them to end up spending eight to 10 years in school because of strike.

    “ASUU can negotiate for better salary and reward without going on strike at the least excuse because the students and the parents are often the victims,” he said.

    He said dialogue and negotiations between the lecturers and federal government on their salaries and other issues would provide lasting solution to the miriads of problem bedeviling the university system than the incessant strikes.

    Osuntokun asserted that it is very disheartening for lecturers to be comparing themselves with the law makers who earn N24 million per month because teaching is a divine calling.

    He also appealed to the federal government to stop the creation of the new nine federal universities which according to him ‘is only borne out of politics in the educational sector’

    “I do not support the creation of nine federal universities because the existing institutions lack the basis infrastructure and know how that can match up with the best university in the world,” he added.

     

  • Students plead with Jonathan to end ASUU strike

    Students plead with Jonathan to end ASUU strike

    Some students of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, on Thursday appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene and stop the ongoing strike by university lecturers.

    The students told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview that the ongoing strike in its fourth day was not in the interest of university education and commended lecturers in EBSU for not participating in the strike.

    The students, who spoke include Miss Rebecca Okoro, a 200 level student of the Department of Biotechnology as well as Enyinnaya Oko and Stephen Onwe both first year students of the Department of Mass Communication.

    They said timely intervention by President Jonathan would salvage the situation and appealed to him to act fast to save the university system from collapse.

    The students expressed regret that their colleagues affected by the strike had remained at home.

    “We commend the wisdom and decision of the local ASUU chapter for not participating in the ongoing industrial action.

    “You know we just resumed on May 12 for academic activities after six weeks closure of the institution by the authorities in the wake of violent protests by students over fee hike.

    “Joining the strike now will have serious consequences on the students of the university.

    “We, however, feel for our colleagues in these affected universities who are now wasting in their respective homes,’’ Okoro said.

    The students said that their first semester examination had just started before the commencement of the ASUU strike.

    They said the industrial action embarked upon by the union could distort the smooth running of the academic calendar if nothing was done to end it soon.

     

  • Strike: NANS to state position Friday – Gbadebo

    Strike: NANS to state position Friday – Gbadebo

    The National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS) will come out with its position on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday, its president, Mr Yinka Gbadebo, said on Wednesday.

    Gbadebo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the body was still consulting on the issue.

    He said that for now, they were appealing to all parties involved in the strike to find ways of reaching a compromise as students were always affected during strikes.

    On the implication of the ASUU strike coming when the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) was also protesting, he said that it was not good for students to be at home for long.

    “The government should at least do something for the unions because they play an important role and in the interest of the nation’s academic future, there should be a compromise.

    “We are appealing to both unions to look into the plight of the students because the staying at home of the students could do damage to their future, “ he said.

    According to him, though the demands of the two unions would improve their productivity and welfare, they should also consider the students.

    Gbadebo said that there should be give-and-take from both the government and the unions in resolving the problems.

    NAN recalls that ASUU had directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike nationwide since Monday.

    The action followed the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with the union.

    ASUU also said the government had reneged on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered into with the union in December 2011.

    ASUP has also been on strike since April– over several issues.