TUC wants FG to end ASUU strike

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday
called on the Federal Government to take
measures to end the four-month-old strike by
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This call is contained in a statement signed by
the Secretary General of the union, Mr. Musa
Lawal, in Abuja.
ASUU had embarked on strike to protest
against the non-implementation of 2009
agreement reached between the union and the
Federal Government.
The TUC said the union was disturbed that in
spite of protests and appeals by parents,
students, market women and others,
government had not shown concerned about
plight of the students.
“TUC is again appealing to government to
address this critical issue that bothers on our
collective future as a nation.
“It is high time our governments at all levels
embrace the culture of respecting and adhering
to agreements.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that ASUU’s
strike has been allowed to drag on for too long,
and the consequences are incalculable.
“We insist that it now behooves on government
to move and decisively address the issues at
stake,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the
union as saying in the statement.
According to the statement, any nation that
abandons its youth developmental and
educational system inadvertently abandons its
tomorrow.
“We shall not fold our arms and allow the
nation’s educational system to collapse.’’
It said the situation was worrisome, noting that
Nigeria, arguably the richest country in Africa
and sixth largest producer of crude oil in the
world, seemingly could not guarantee
education for its citizenry.