ASUU president, Fagge
Striking lecturers in the nation’s public universities
on Monday made good their decision not to return
to work as directed by the Federal Government.
The striking teachers also refused to sign the
attendance registers in their respective institutions
as ordered by the government.
They said they were only waiting for the sack
letters the Federal Government threatened to give
them if they did not return to work.
In many of the universities visited by our
correspondents, only administrative offices opened
for business while the lecture rooms were empty.
Particularly, lecturers’ offices remained shut.
Among some of the universities visited by our
correspondents were the University of Lagos,
University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, University of Calabar, Nnamdi Azikwe
University, Awka, and the University of Uyo.
Others are Obafemi Awolwo University, Ile-Ife,
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and the
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom
Wike, had urged the striking lecturers to return to
work or on before December 9 or risk being
sacked.
But the leadership of ASUU had remained unfazed
by the FG’s directive and threat. They accused the
government of insincerity in the resolution of the
face-off.
At the NAU, Awka on Monday, though some of the
lecturers were on campus, they did not teach. The
institution’s Faculty of Social Sciences, for
instance, had its classrooms and laboratories shut.
The hostels were opened but students had yet to
return to the campus.
At UI, only a few lecturers were on the campus.
They neither taught nor signed the attendance
register.
The institution’s chapter of ASUU earlier in the day
had sent a message to its members, urging them
to be calm and resolute in their demands.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola
Aremu, said they would have wasted their time and
effort if they caved in and returned to work under
threat.
He said, “How can you call off a strike when there
is nothing to show for it? The government is not
qualified to call off the strike. Our union is awaiting
the government to state all it has done in black and
white. However, it is a serious insult on us for the
government to be harassing us with sacking threat.
We are not casual workers or labourers. Our
research work has been ongoing.”
Also, at UNICAL and at the Cross River University
of Science and Technology, students and their
teachers stayed away from the schools.
The UNICAL ASUU Chairman, Dr. James Okpiliya,
insisted that the Federal Government must meet
the lecturers’ demands before the strike could be
suspended.
Lecturers also shunned work at OAU even though
a few of the students were on the campus.
One of our correspondents observed that many of
the students who returned to campus were those
residing within Ife and its environs.
The Chairman of ASUU at the university, Prof.
Adegbola Akinola, who spoke to one of our
correspondents, said that the strike was still on.
He said, “Our union did not close the universities,
what we did was to withdraw teaching services
and they will remain withdrawn until the
government properly documents the agreement
reached with us on November 4, 2013.”
Lectures did not also hold at ABU. The two
campuses of the institution at Samaru and Kongo
had only a negligible human presence as of
Monday.
Lecturers’ offices and lecture halls were shut, just
as the students did not show up as directed by the
government.
ASUU Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, told
journalists that they had yet to call off the action.
The UNIJOS ASUU chapter Chairman, Dr. David
Jangkam, said striking teachers in the university
were just waiting for their sack letters from the
Federal Government.
Jangkam said, “We are waiting for their sack
letters. Any government that is toying with
education is not worth its salt. We expect firm
commitment in solving the issues, but if the
government is playing to the gallery, it is very
unfortunate.”
When our correspondent visited the various
departments, only a few departments had opened
registers as demanded by the governing council.
There were no studies too at UNIUYO, UNIJOS,
FUNAAB, LASU and UNILAG as lecturers boycotted
classes.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, on
Monday, urged the striking teachers to call off the
industrial action.
The President, who spoke at the All Nigerian
Judges Conference organised by the National
Judicial Council in Abuja, on Monday, said the
industrial action would prevent the country from
achieving the Vision 2020 target of becoming one of
the top 20 economies in the world by 2020.
Although the Federal Government had recently
threatened to sack the lecturers for going on
strike, Jonathan noted that ASUU had the right to
embark on the industrial action.
He said, “This administration recognises and
respects the right of workers, including the right to
embark on industrial action to press home their
demand and have taken concrete steps to address
the grievances of ASUU.
“I therefore use this occasion to call on ASUU to
call off its strike.”
“With this Nigeria’s quest to become one of the
world’s 20th largest economies by the year 2020
cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of industrial
disharmony.
“Nigeria’s geopolitical history has been
characterised by incessant labour dispute and
industrial action.
“While views may differ on the utility of industrial
action as a means of advancing the collective
interest of workers in the polity, it is an
unassailable fact that labour and industrial
harmony is sine qua non to the socio-economic
development of any nation, Nigeria inclusive.”

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