University students who have been at home for about two months now as a result of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may stay at home for some more time
This is because the Federal Government Re-negotiating Team yesterday pulled out of any further negotiations with ASUU, saying it would resume negotiation only if the union suspends its ongoing strike.
Chairman of the FGN /ASUU Re-negotiation Com-mittee, Mr. Gamaliel Ono-sode, who announced this to newsmen yesterday in Abuja said: �The government team endeavoured to facilitate the conclusion of these negotiations at the strictly employer/employee level. Unfortunately, that effort has been stalled by the current strike action. We therefore cannot get to the point where the Councils can receive the documents and speedily conclude the negotiations for implementation. Consequ-ently, the government team is not in a position to continue further negotiation with the Union until it suspends its strike action to provide an enabling environment for them.�
Onosode joined �all well-meaning Nigerians in appealing to the unions to at least, suspend the ongoing strike actions in order to create an enabling environment for the facilitation of the conclusion of the re-negotiation�.
Executive Secretary of the National Universities Comm-ission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, said �the Governing Councils of Federal Univers-ities have been advised to recall their staff who are on strike and provide an enabling environment for teaching, research and community services for those who are willing to work.�
He, however, confirmed that the Federal Government had not enforced the �no work, no pay� rule. �I received a letter from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation stating that salaries for the month of July have been paid,� Okojie said.
At the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held in Makurdi, Benue State, ASUU said it could not suspend or call of the strike because it had been �Once bitten. twice shy.�
According to the union, when President Umaru Musa Yar�Adua took oath of office on 29 May, 2007, it was on strike and the President called it to a meeting on 21st June 2007, where he appealed to the union to suspend its strike and allow him an opportunity to address the issues.
One of the issues was that of the 49 lecturers of University of Ilorin, sacked in violation of the non-victimisation clause, contained in the 30 June, 2001 agreement, which was to be resolved in the process of an out-of-court settlement. But the then Minister of Education declared, after ASUU had suspended its strike, that the President�s decision on the matter would be decided by the Supreme Court.


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=151302

ASUU, i beg u in d name of God, i have one more year before i graduate as a doctor. Stop this strike now!

yar dua must Go