ASUU will call off its strike soon, says Mark

Senate President David Mark yesterday met
with officials of the striking Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU), with the hope of
prevailing on them to return to the classroom.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Chief
Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, the Senate
President said there were indications that the
four-month-old industrial dispute would soon
be resolved.
Mark said ASUU officials decried the lingering
crisis, which has taken its toll on the nation.
Mark spoke in Abuja during a meeting with
ASUU leaders, led by the union’s President, Dr
Nasir Fagge.
Those at the meeting included Prof Festus
Iyayi, Dr. Dipo Fashina, Prof Abdullahi Sule-
Kano, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, Prof Victor
Osodeke, Dr. A. B. Baffa, Prof Suleiman Abdul,
Dr. Victor Igbum and Mr. Michael Odunmorayo.
The Senate President noted that the strike had
brought hardship to students, parents and the
lecturers.
He said: “It is time we resolve this matter in the
interest of the nation.
“This is not a case of winners or losers. It is
not a matter of ego. National interest is at
stake. We must do all that is necessary to
resolve this matter so that students and
teachers can return to classrooms.
“Nobody is happy about the strike, which is in
its fourth month. Nobody is happy that our
education system is threatened by this ugly
development. Let us end this strike for good.”
Dr Fagge said the struggle was necessitated by
the need to improve the infrastructure and
learning environment in universities.
He said the striking lecturers wished to produce
graduates who could be as good as their
counterparts in other parts of the world.
The union leader stressed that the strike did
not profit the lecturers but was a needed
sacrifice for the government to do the right
thing in the Education sector.
He said: “We are not just lecturers; we are also
parents and students. So, the strike is also
affecting us negatively.”
The meeting later went into a closed-door
session for about two-and-a-half hours.
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) chapter of the
ASUU has said it is not against a dialogue with
the Federal Government.
But it said the strike lingered for over four
months because of the government’s high-
handedness.
The union stressed that its dialogue with the
government would have been fruitful, if the
government had respected the agreement it
signed with the union in 2009 as well as acted
on the NEEDS Assessment Report.
A joint statement by the UNIJOS Chairman of
the union, Dr. David Jangkam, and the
Secretary, Dr. Wamnang, said: “Anything
contrary or not based on a clear acceptance of
the framework for implementing the 2009
agreement and NEEDS Assessment Report will
be an imposition which will not be the solution
to the present crisis.”
The statement added that the agreements were
well documented and could not be jettisoned
under any guise.
The UNJOS-ASUU urged President Goodluck
Jonathan to follow the principles of the
agreement to resolve the face-off, instead of
applying high-handed tactics.
It hailed ASUU’s national leadership for sticking
to its guns on the strike.