Academic activities will be grounded in Nigerian public universities as Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a one-month warning strike.
ASUU announced the strike on Monday after a long meeting that started on Sunday evening at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
ASUU President, Emmanuel Victor Osodeke said the industrial action is “comprehensive and total.”
The union declared the industrial action on Monday in Lagos at a media briefing addressed by its President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, after the National Executive Committee of the union met for two days.
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The union said the decision to arrive at this position was painful particularly because of the consequences on the students and their parents and guardians
“But we have to act this way considering that the government has failed to fulfill the Memorandum of Action it signed with us since 23rd of December 2020,” he stressed.
He said if nothing happened from government’s side before the expiration of the ultimatum, the union would take the next option available.
Speaking further, the union accused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of what it called overbearing power on admission of students in universities and other levels of tertiary institutions.
According to the union, JAMB’s mandate is only to conduct exams for admissions and leave various schools to determine and decide who to admit and those to change courses of studies or institutions.
Recall that the union has been demanding for payment of Earned Academic Allowance, revitalization fund, the replacement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, and University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS, among others.
ASUU Strike: We Are Not Aware ― FG
The Federal Government has described the strike action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as unwarranted as no notice of strike was received from the leadership of the Union either verbally or in writing to that effect.
But, the National Association of Nigerian Students has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Miniter of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige for failing to resolve the impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and Federal Government to allow for industrial peace in public universities.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, while reacting to the development said he was not informed by the ASUU that they were going on strike. Adamu spoke through the Director, Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Mr Ben. Bem Goong.
The Minister said the Federal Government has been implementing the agreements reached with the Union.
National President of NANS, Comrade Sunday Asefon, who led scores of students to protest against the strike action by ASUU on Monday in Abuja, said President Buhari should remove Adamu and Ngige, he noted have done nothing to end the incessant strikes in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The protesters temporarily blocked the entrance gate to Phase I, Federal Secretariat Complex, housing the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment among others until the intervention of a Police Officer, Abdullahi A.H, who tried to pacify the students with the promise to arrange a meeting for them with the Minister.
