Federal and state universities chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have insisted that they will mobilise their members for a nationwide industrial action to protest Federal Government’s failure to honour agreements reached since 2009.
At the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), the union declared February 9, 2022 (yesterday) as a work-free day to mobilise for the strike notice served by its national secretariat.
It urged the Federal and state governments to do the needful and stop the rhetoric of unfulfilled promises and commitment to education in the country and urged Nigerians to hold the government responsible for the strike due to its failure to meet the union’s demands.
In a statement issued by the Chairman and Secretary of ASUU, Dr. Cyril Ozeigbe Onogbosele and William Odion, the union insisted that the government’s offensive and negative disposition to public universities in the country was unacceptable and should no longer be tolerated.
In a related development, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, sacked Prof. Benson Osadolor as Acting Vice-Chancellor of AAU and replaced him with Prof. Sunny Adagbonyi as Acting Vice-Chancellor, while professors Theo O. Agueda and Marshall Azeke emerged as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics).
BESIDES, lecturers at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and Imo State University (IMSU) have berated the Federal Government for its failure to implement its agreements with ASUU since 2009.
Head, Department of Polymer and Textile Engineering, Dr. Haco Obasi and Dr. Calixtus Iheme of the Department of Forensic Sciences at FUTO and their IMSU counterpart, Dr. Onyeka Chima, among others, who spoke to The Guardian, yesterday, said the lapse would continue to hamper growth and development of the country education system.
MEANWHILE, the ASUU chapter of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) has accused the Federal Government of being insensitive and insincere in the implementation of its agreement with the union since 2020.
Chairman of ASUU at the university, Dr. Happiness Uduk, stated this at a media briefing to sensitise members and other unions on why they should support the industrial action.
She noted that despite all entreaties to Federal Government’s representatives on the need to honour the agreement, there had not been any positive response thereby paving way for another avoidable strike.
