ASUU to parents: Keep your children at
home
DECEMBER 2, 2013 BY NIYI ODEBODE,
CHARLES ABAH, FIDELIS SORIWEI, OLUFEMI
ATOYEBI AND OLUSOLA FABIYI
66 Comments
Supervising Minister of Education, Mr.
Nyesom Wike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities on
Sunday advised parents not to endanger the
lives of their children and wards by sending
them to their university campuses.
ASUU which also told its members not to
sign attendance registers in their institutions,
lashed out at the Federal Government for lack
of consistency in its statements on the
ongoing strike.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Mr.
Nyesom Wike, had at a news conference in
Abuja on Thursday, warned that any ASUU
member that failed to resume on or before
Wednesday would be sacked.
Wike also directed vice-chancellors to
advertise vacancies (internal and external) in
their institutions.
He told the vice-chancellors to open
attendance registers for lecturers that
resumed in their universities.
The Federal Government then directed the
Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed
Abubakar, to deploy policemen in all the
federal universities.
On Friday, President Goodluck Jonathan, who
described the strike by the university
teachers as a “subversive action,” added that
ASUU had ceased to be a trade union.
But the Chairman, University of Ibadan
chapter of ASUU, Dr. Segun Ajiboye, said
parents should keep their children and wards
at home as no academic activity would
resume until the five-month-old strike was
called off.
Ajiboye added, “Don’t risk the lives of your
children and wards. Keep them at home
because ASUU will not teach. Soldiers and the
police deployed by the Federal Government
will not teach. Wike can come and teach in
the universities. It is a huge joke to sack
lecturers. Our strike must not be in vain. Our
students must see the results.
“It is funny. We thought we are in a
democracy. I assure Nigerians that we know
what the law says about the strike. Our job is
statue backed. We are not threatened. “We do
not trust the government. The record of the
government is clear. This government is
dishonouring agreements. Our members are
resolved to pursue this to a logical
conclusion.”
Ajiboye also said that the Federal
Government’s stance was from a script that
was played out by the military administration
of Ibrahim Babangida in the 1990s.
He stated, “Dear members, stay calm and
remain resolute. There is nothing wrong in
asking government to do what it says it will
do immediately. ASUU is not making any new
demands as the supervising minister is
propagating. Government is only repeating a
‘one act play’ scripted by the IBB dictatorship
in early 90s. It didn’t work then, and, it won’t
work now. All branches are intact. We cannot
be intimidated.
“If ASUU could withstand Babangida, this
government cannot threaten us. We have
worked this road before, the only thing that
will work is peaceful resolution. It is sad that
government wants to sack us because we are
asking for the resolutions. We are ready to be
sacked but government should learn from the
University of Ilorin experience. We are going
to stay the course.”
ASUU President, Dr. Nassir Fagge, urged
university teachers on Sunday not to sign
any attendance register.
Fagge, in a message to the UI chapter ,
urged the lecturers to be resolute in their
demands despite the threat of insecurity to
their jobs.
He said, “Comrades, can you see the
unfolding drama? Now Jonathan says they
didn’t give ultimatum. That the vice -
chancellors did and Wike became their
trumpet. But NUC’s (National Universities
Commission) ultimatum is by the Federal
Government to us to resume or get sacked.
“Wike’s press address says ‘FG has directed’
not ‘VCs have directed.’ Be calm, stay
resolute. By God’s grace, we are on course.”
The Chairman, University of Lagos chapter
of the union, Dr. Karol Ogbinaka, said
Jonathan’s description of the strike as a
“subversive action,” was unfortunate.
“How can our action be subversive when we
do not have arms and ammunition? We take
exception to that. We are academics not coup
plotters. I have a feeling he was misquoted. I
wish to deny this on his behalf because it is
an extreme statement,” Ogbinaka said.
He also faulted the buck passing on the
directive to reopen universities, saying it
pointed to the fact that the government was
“somersaulting.”
According to him, the Federal Government is
now shifting the blame among the pro-
chancellors, Committee of Vice-Chancellors
and Wike.
But the Presidency on Sunday insisted that
those behind the strike were enemies of the
state.
It said this could be the reason why the
ASUU leadership refused to call off the strike
even when 42 out of its 61 chapters voted
against its continuation.
The Senior Special Assistant to President
Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr.
Doyin Okupe, stated these at a news
conference in Abuja on Sunday.
He wondered why the leadership of the union
also refused to call off the strike even after
its 13-hour meeting with the President.
Okupe described the strike as an evil
programme motivated by selfish political
interest.
He said, “The ASUU leadership refused to
accede to the wishes of 42 of its 61 chapters
nationwide, who voted in favour of the
agreement with the President and the calling
off of the strike; but in a surprise volte face
presented government again with a new set of
demands and considerations outside the terms
agreed at the presidential intervention.
“From all indications therefore and other
information available to government, it has
become obvious that this is no longer an
altruistic strike borne out of good intentions
and aimed at improving the welfare of
students and staff of the universities and the
standard of our educational institutions.
“Rather it is an evil programme motivated by
selfish political interests and motivations
within the polity. These are, quoting late
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, ‘the
enemies of state operating from within’”.
While Okupe was talking tough in Abuja, the
All Progressives Congress slammed the
government for issuing the sack threat
against the university teachers.
In a statement in Lagos, the APC said the
resort to military tactics reflected
government’s poverty of ideas in resolving the
prolonged strike.
The statement by the party’s Interim
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, also criticised Wike for the way
he talked down on the striking teachers, while
issuing the threat.
APC stated, ‘’Wike’s language was crude, his
presentation was rude and his threat was
demeaning and counter-productive. We
believe his lack of finesse and the inability to
think out of the box in handling the whole
strike issue will not bode well for a quick
resolution of the crisis.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria
Labour Congress will on Monday(today) meet
with the ASUU leadership as part of its
efforts to resolve the crisis between the union
and the Federal Government.
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watchout for every episode of ASUU and FG frm PTI-MAN

PTI-MAN:
watchout for every episode of ASUU and FG frm PTI-MAN

I thought Jonathan supporters said Jonathan is Nigeria saviour. A saviour that couldn't address common ASUU strike for five month. and they are full of lies. Oduah's aid said the cars were bought for her, but she denied it. Nelson wiked said FG give seven days ultimatum, but Jonathan deny it. if they are deceiving themselves like this how do you want ASUU to believe them on any promise without many parties to sign such agreement. confused government.

PTI-MAN:
watchout for every episode of ASUU and FG frm PTI-MAN

I was in school when ASUU strikes for almost a year and Abacha didn't call political agents. He didn't give them bad names as it is common in this administration. We students at that time were only praying not as abusive as this generation. I am praying that NO PARENT will his/her child back to school in this December because of possibility of road accident. They will put the blame on ASUU.