ASUU threatens to sanction varsities that opted out of strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to sanction its members that failed to comply with its decision to remain on strike while negotiations with the Federal Government continue.

ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, said this on Monday in an interview with NAN.

On February 14, ASUU declared a one-month warning strike to protest the non-implementation of its demands by the federal government.

The union extended the strike action by eight weeks on March 14, citing the government’s failure to fully address its demands.

It thereafter extended the strike by another 12 weeks on May 9.

A few state varsities, including the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), the Kwara State University (KWASU), and the Ekiti State University (EKSU), have opted out of the strike action.

“We will ensure to query them and we will follow it up the appropriate way. We have even queried some of them in accordance with the union,’’ Osodeke said.

The ASUU leader added that there had been no meeting between the union and the FG on the strike since the last meeting involving Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the President.

He said nothing concrete came out of the meeting that was held at the presidential villa over a month ago.

“We have not been called for any other meeting since that time and the government did not offer us anything. They just asked us to meet with the committee. That was all,” he said.

He said that the union would hold a meeting with the government within the week.

ASUU on Saturday rejected an intervention fund by Brekete Family, a human rights TV and radio programme, to end the strike.