ASUU confirms extension of strike by 12 weeks

• VCs seek urgent resolution

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, say the union has extended the strike by 12 weeks.

The extension by another 12 weeks will make it 20 weeks students will stay at home since ASUU declared the current strike.

Osodeke told NAN in a telephone interview on Monday in Abuja, that it extended its roll-over strike for another 12 weeks to enable the Federal Government address issues in concrete terms.

He said that the extension was due to the Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreement entered with the union.

The union had embarked on a nationwide warning strike from February 14 to press home its members’ demands.

The first warning strike started on February 14 for four weeks and the second strike commenced on March 15 for another four weeks, while the third one is announced on May 9 for another 12 weeks.

The lecturers’ demands include funding of the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.

Others are the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG agreement and the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.

The union during its last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting noted that it was disappointed that government had not treated the matters with utmost urgency they deserved and as expected of a reasonable, responsive, and well-meaning administration.

“NEC viewed government’s response so far as a continuation of the unconscionable, mindless and nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian ruling elite toward the proven path of the national development which is education.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has called on the Federal Government and ASUU leadership to resolve the lingering issues to end the ongoing strike.

The Chairman of the committee, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said it was crucial for both parties to come to an agreement to end the strike as soon as possible.

He urged them to honour agreements entered into for academic activities to commence in the affected universities.

“We have already given a press release arising from the meeting of the general assembly of the committee.

“We said that ASUU and the Federal Government should amicably resolve all lingering issues,” he said.

Edoumiekumo, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Niger Delta University, expressed optimism that the issues would be resolved soon.