ASUU Threatens FG With Indefinite Strike If Conditions Are Not Met

•Says, we need action, not words

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said yesterday that it is not interested in further negotiations with the Federal Government rather, the implementation of some aspects of the 2009 agreement.
Addressing newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo State capital to clarify issues, while officially declaring the commencement of a full blown strike at the University of Ibadan (UI) branch congress today, ASUU National Treasurer, Dr Ademola Aramu, urged the government to stop dragging issues by “ talking, talking , talking with no action”, adding that the Presidency should stop playing tomfoolery with intellectuals.

Dr Aremu noted that ASUU is back again because “we are dealing with a very difficult situation for President Goodluck Jonathan, we may be in this for so long time. We ought to embark on this strike since June 15, but because of the love we have for our profession, students, and parents, we gave government time to act, but it refused.

“Nigerians believe that we are the one that can save them, we know we are, the only way we can do this is embarking on a strike. We are not strike-hungry, but it is to make them (government) fulfill their obligation. They said the country is financially handicapped, Nigeria is rich, we are making about 15 trillion naira from crude oil sales alone yearly and the total budget is about 5 trillion naira”, he said.

He noted that the Education Trust Fund (ETF) that was meant to provide infrastructure support to Nigerian universities is now allegedly used to sponsor political appointees, adding that there are wastages daily as government’s top functionaries are establishing institutions outside the country with taxpayers’ money.
“We are not interested in talking, talking, with no action, they must shun this attitude and embark on implementation of our 2009 agreement, if they will not do this, we are not going to the class. We want

Nigerian students to know that we are fighting for them, because this present administration is promoting poverty. We are speaking the town’s language, because the present administration is putting the future of education to shambles and the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch without doing anything”.

A source at the Federal Ministry of Education in Ibadan said that the meeting of Senate Committee on Education with the Minister, Prof. Rukayyatu Rufa’i, her Labour counterpart, Emeka Wogu, may force the striking union to call off its strike very soon.

A member of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU UI), Bayo (surname withheld) at the secretariat, revealed that SSANU may also step in, if the government fails to carry out the signed agreement with ASUU.