Striking members of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities ( ASUU) have
accused the Federal Government of
using orchestrated propaganda to
compel their union to end the current
industrial action.
The leadership of the union made the
allegation on Sunday in Abuja, where it
also reiterated that its indefinite strike
started on July 2 , still stands ,
irrespective of the move by government
to discredit their union .
ASUU distanced itself from a purported
meeting at the State House , Abuja, with
Vice President Namadi Sambo , where it
was claimed that government further
shifted grounds on the debmands of the
union .
Last week, an online news medium had
reported that there was an appreciable
progress in the ongoing negotiations
between ASUU and the Vice President ,
particularly on the controversial earned
allowances for the striking lecturers .
In the report, government was alleged to
have further shifted ground on the
demands made by the union , by
agreeing to add N10 billion to the N30
billion initially provided for the settlement
of earned allowances, making it N40
billion .
It was also reported that government
had shored up the N100 billion meant
for infrastructure to N150 billion with a
pledge to periodically inject more funds
into the system in line with the Needs
Implementation Committee chaired by
Benue State Governor , Gabriel Suswan .
Chairman of ASUU , University of Abuja
chapter , Clement Chup, however , told
our reporter that there was such
meeting .
“ In fact , I read the mischievous report
online myself , but I am telling you
authoritatively that there was no such
meeting .
“ Government is only trying to use
propaganda and cheap blackmail to
make us call off this strike, but it will not
work .
“ Our strike is still very much on course ,
in fact ASUU will soon release a position
paper on these developments , we are
used to this kind of blackmail from
government , ” Chup said .
Only recently , government began the
implementation of no work , no pay
policy against the striking lecturers .
ASUU ’s counterpart in the technical
education sector, Academic Staff Union
of Polytechnics ( ASUP ) , also resumed
their earlier suspended strike last week.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Ambrose Alli
University chapter of ASUU, Fred
Esumeh , has said the union still enjoys
public sympathy .
He attributed the strike to failed
leadership on the part of government ,
saying over 53 letters urging
government to implement the 2009
agreement were transmitted prior to the
strike .
“ As I keep saying , this strike is a product
of failed leadership on the part of
government ; this is because we had
series of dialogue to reach an
agreement .
“ An agreement reached since 2009 that
has not been implemented up till now,
obviously it is a product of failed
leadership , before this time that we
commenced strike , there have been over
53 letters , not to talk of several meetings
with House and Senate committees on
education to intervene .
“ I do not think ASUU is loosing public
sympathy , because what we see in our
electronic media and perhaps few print
media is sponsored protest .
“ Like the one organised by the market
women , that one is laughable , you could
see that it is government sponsored.
“ Then of course the guy that parades
himself as NANS President , Yinka
Gbadebo, a diploma student in OAU , who
was rusticated from Ekiti State
University .
“ A diploma student cannot even contest
to be an SUG president and to be a
NANS president, you must be from SUG
presidents all over the federation , so we
know these people are sponsored by
government , ” Esumeh said.
Also from Ado - Ekiti came report that
ASUU is insisting that the no - work - no -
pay rule by the Federal Government
against its members would not deter it
from fighting the ongoing battle to a
logical conclusion .
The union said no amount of pressure
will dissuade it from ensuring that
government implements the agreements.
This was contained in a statement in
Ado Ekiti on Sunday by ASUU, Ilorin
Zone , and signed by its Coordinator ,
Ayan Adeleke .
It said owners of private universities ,
who have allegedly been advising the
President to whip ASUU into line through
no - work - no - pay rule , are doing it for
selfish motives .
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