The Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, has stated that if all of its demands are not met, the strike would continue.
In a conversation with journalists on Wednesday, ASUU’s national president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, revealed this.
The union had called a 30-day warning strike in response to the federal government’s refusal to honor a deal that both sides had signed, a move that the government had criticized.
Oshodeke said the strike can be called off tomorrow if the FG adopts and meets all of our demands. He further said it is in the government’s hands, not ASUU’s, to meet all of the requests and if they want it called off this week or next week, it’s doable if they do what they’re supposed to do instead of making empty promises that we’re not sure they’ll follow through on. But, as is customary, if you call off the strike, they will forsake everything.”
“We have no issue, and we are busy people; he may have all the time, but it is up to them to put our ideas into action.” He added.
“If our union was able to negotiate and have agreements inked during the military era, but now they are telling us what to do and what not to do in the civilian era, something is wrong with this system.” They are currently blackmailing and intimidating us.
“We’re just waiting,” they’ve repeatedly stated. If they’re sincere, let them put everything we’ve agreed on into action. If they implement, we can call it a day. Nigerians should tell them, “We don’t gamble, we implement the arrangement.”
However, Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, warned the union not to use intimidation tactics against the committee and the Ministry of Education, claiming that if they did, their proposal would be rejected.
“We set up a committee in the ministry of education to look into it because they are the lecturers’ direct employers.” Professor Manzali led the committee, and there was a draft plan that the education ministry had to agree to, after which it was broken up and sent to the government’s higher bodies, the Presidential Committee on Salaries, and finally to the FEC for approval.