The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Sunday, declared that the strike declared by the union is still ongoing, indefinite and total, until the Federal Government substantially implement the agreement reached with the union in 2009.
Chairman, ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, in a statement in Ibadan, debunked claims by the Minister of Education, Professor Rakayat Rufai, that the union would call off its strike tomorrow as total falsehood and misinformation, saying “no retreat, no surrender” until the Federal Government met all the demands of the academic union.
While noting that the National Assembly had done its part by passing the 70-year retirement age for academics in the professorial cadre, Ajiboye said the union was aware of the passage of the 70-year retirement age by the two houses of the National Assembly, but, however, said a bill would become a law only when it was accented to by the president.
He urged parents not to allow their children to travel on the dangerous Nigerian roads at this hard times, as the strike was still ongoing.
Ajiboye listed other items in the agreement that must be implemented before the strike could be called off to include university autonomy, particularly the constitution of university governing councils, payment of earned allowances and other welfare matters.
These, he said, were of serious concern to the union, “due to the level of degradation in those universities, payment of earned allowances and other welfare matters to our members,” adding that the government should show seriousness to the above outstanding issues.
“The strike, embarked upon on Monday, December 5, 2011, by the union to make the Federal Government to fully implement the agreement it freely entered into with our union in September 2009 is still on.”
There is no indication that ASUU will suspend its industrial action, according to the chairman, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) branch of the union, Dr Ife Adewunmi. He said the strike would continue until all their demands were met.
Speaking 70-year retirement age for professors, Dr Adewunmi said they (ASUU) members would remain at home until the Federal Government addressed all the union’s demands.
He added that the industrial action would continue until the government addressed the core issues of their disagreement with it.
The Minister of Education, Professor Ruqquayatu Rufa’i, had expressed optimism that the strike would be called off this week. She said this while addressing the Committee of Vice Chancellors of the Federal Universities in Abuja, on Friday.
Dr Adewumi, while responding to questions from journalists, said that the new law passed by the National Assembly was meant to address only one part of their demands from the government.
According to him, “I like to tell you that the impression by the Federal Government and the Minister of Education that we are going to call off the strike on Monday is completely false and most unfortunate.”
Adewumi accused the Federal Government of insincerity, stressing that the core of the issues constituted the bone of contention between the government and the striking lecturers were yet to be addressed.
“The union was more particular about proper funding of the universities to allow sponsorship of researches that will power the nation’s economy. Apart from this, part of the agreement reached with the Federal Government is how to give autonomy to the universities to allow them design and implement policies that will best suit their peculiar systems.”