The Academic Staff Union of
Universities has said it is
continuing its nationwide strike on
the advice of university students.
In a telephone interview with
SUNDAY PUNCH, the President of
the union, Dr. Isa Fagge, said
students were tired of the
incessant industrial actions by the
university lecturers due to the
Federal Government's failure to
implement the agreement it had
with ASUU since 2009.
Fagge said the union had decided
to heed the advice of the students
to continue the strike until the
Federal Government fully
implemented the agreement.
"Our students have come out to
say they don't want us to call off
the strike until the Federal
Government answers us, because
they don't want us to call off now
and later we go back to strike
again. So, we are heeding the
advice of our students," he said.
On the complaint by the Federal
Government that it lacked the
funds to implement the agreement,
Fagge said it was not all about
money, noting that government
did not need funds to start
implementing some parts of the
agreement.
"There are issues and agreement
they can implement without
money. Why don't they begin with
those ones?" he asked.
He added that it was unfortunate
that the government had pulled
out of dialogue with ASUU, stating
that the union would not be
intimidated.
He said, "Now, government has
pulled out of the dialogue. We
thought we were the ones going
on strike, but now government has
also gone on strike."
Last Thursday, university students
under the auspices of the National
Association of Nigerian Students
reportedly staged a peaceful
protest in Ado-Ekiti and flayed the
Federal Government for failing to
honour the agreement it had with
ASUU since 2009.
The students, who were from
public universities, threatened to
disrupt activities of private
universities, adding that the
government was not bothered
about their plight because children
of government officials were
studying either in private
universities or studying overseas.
The university lecturers began an
indefinite strike on July 1 and
have been demanding full
implementation of the agreement
ASUU had with the Federal
Government in 2009, which
among other things include the
UNESCO-recommended 26 per
cent budgetary allocation for
education. However, the
government said it could not
implement the agreement, and is
seeking re-negotiation.
The Federal Government, last
Wednesday, accused ASUU of
being unrealistic by continuing its
nationwide strike and asked it to
rethink its demands, considering
other commitments government
has.
The Minister of Information,
Labaran Maku, who gave
government's position on the
strike when he briefed journalists
at the end of the weekly meeting
of the Federal Executive Council,
said apart from security, education
was one of the sectors the
government had expended a lot of
money on. http://punchng.mobi/output.php?link=http://www.punchng.com/news/students-dont-want-us-to-end-strike-ASUU/

These men's kids must be schooling either in Nigerian private universities, or Western universities. That is why they don't understand the students' plight!!!