Academic activities were yesterday paralysed at universities across the country following the strike declared by the teachers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufai, has said an offer has been made to the union and that the government was awaiting its response.
The minister, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the Annual General Meeting of the West and Central African Research Education Network, stated that the government was constantly in touch with ASUU and assured that the relationship would continue.
“In fact, you know they are our colleagues, we discussed with them, we had a meeting, we made an offer as government and we are expecting to hear from them.”
Speaking to journalists earlier at the event, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, who also confirmed the offer made to ASUU, however, claimed that the government was not aware that the union has gone on strike.
“I don’t want to hear in the public place that we are on strike, we have no official report from them; they should write to us.
We have been meeting regularly, even on Sunday about three weeks ago, there was an offer made by government to them.
They said they are going to their National Executive Council Meeting (NEC); all we expect from them is to come back to us and tell us what their NEC said.
As far as I am concerned, I don’t know if they are on strike.” Okojie stated. At the University of Ibadan (UI), students who reported for early morning lectures went back disappointed as lecturers shunned classes.
Students were seen playing soccer and basket ball within the campus while final year students lamented their fate and the effect of the strike on them.
They appealed to the Federal Government to address the demands of the teachers and save the sector from another crisis. National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu, who spoke with reporters, expressed satisfaction with the action, saying the strike order was fully complied with at the institution.
At the University of Lagos (UNILAG) yesterday, students gathered to lament the sudden turn of event.
One of them, who identified himself as Obishakin Anu, pleaded with the government to stop playing politics with education, warning that the consequences of their neglect of the sector will greatly endanger the future of the country.
The Chairman of ASUU, UNILAG chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, said: “This is not an issue of paucity in the nation’s treasury; it is about somebody lacking the political will to place education in its rightful place; is it not the same government that is paying militants and Boko Haram members? You embark on strike; they will implement item one, and then another strike for item to implement number two.
We requested for specific things and we are not seeing evidence that government is serious with us, so we have to compel them to do the right thing.”
ASUU leaders in the University of Jos rose from an emergency meeting yesterday at the branch’s secretariat, with the chairman, Dr. Jangkwa David Nansoh, saying all members had unanimously endorsed the indefinite strike to press home their demands.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday backed the strike by ASUU and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG), saying the Federal Government should immediately honour the agreement it entered with the aggrieved unions and preserve the economy of the nation.
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